Maelstrom
by Akinriah Tram
Summary: AU. His aspiration to be a world-class actor was jeopardized the moment he met Haruno Sakura, a woman who existed in life, but didn't exist on paper. "Choose Sasuke, will it be your career or her?"
1. Trouble Follows Everyone

**Disclaimer: **All recognizable characters rightfully belong to Masashi Kishimoto. However, the OCs and the plot rightfully belong to me.

**Special thanks**: to _AnimeSiren_ who took her precious time to fix the horrible grammatical errors and add magic to make the story presentable.

* * *

Chapter 1: Trouble Follows Everyone

**OUTGOING FAMILY FEUD: UCHIHA FAN CRISIS**  
By: Mitarashi Anko_**  
August 23, 2014**_

**After several weeks, the final answer to the proposal made by Uchiha Fuguku has been answered. Heir to the **_**FANboy Game Corporation, **_**Tokyo's hottest bachelor and renowned singer of **_**CriMson Night**_**, Uchiha Itachi, has left home and has been declared as having no more relations to the Uchiha Family. **

**The elder Uchiha brother has not been spotted anywhere since this outrageous declaration. Although Uchiha Fuguku, head of **_**FANboy Corporation,**_** is still active and vigorous, a new heir is needed to succeed his prestigious company. Uchiha Sasuke, the youngest son of the Uchiha family and a rising star in the entertainment world, is the most compatible candidate for the position; however, he has also moved out of the Uchiha Manor shortly after his brother left –having no desire to take over the family's business— to continue his modeling and actor career. If Uchiha Sasuke hadn't left Hyuuga Hinata at the altar on that fateful day, then Hyuuga Neiji, his would-be brother-in-law, could've replaced his position. **

**With no one to succeed the Uchiha family corporate dynasty, what will happen to the fate of **_**FANboy Game Corp?**_** Will the position be handed down to some unknown company corrupter, or will someone trustworthy emerge? Perhaps someone such as Arisugaki Sai?**

* * *

"What the hell?"

The outburst, rivaling Mount Fuji's eruption, seethed out of his teeth at will, revealing irritation and rage. A low snarl followed the burst and the poor newspaper in his hands was smashed up into a ball almost immediately. The rage was almost tangible.

"Naruto!" Sakura chided sending a disapprovingly glare his way. "What did I tell you about using such words in this house?"

At her scolding, the anger dissipated at once.

"I'm sorry, Sakura-chan." Naruto scratched his head and smiled guiltily. "But Sai might inherit Uchiha FANboy Game Corp! I can't let him beat me! My dream is to become CEO! "

He smiled cheekily at her, "Forgive me, please?"

Sakura sighed tiredly and shook her head; she seemed not to find the news that stunning. "Oh Naruto, what am I going to do with you?"

"You can marry me."

"Oh La La! Somebody's proposing to his very own sister!" A man in his late thirties with platinum blond hair was sitting at the end of the dinner table and making squeaky giggles while watching the scene in amusement. "The emergence of a forbidden love; how scandalous!"

"You're so funny." Sakura scowled with heavy sarcasm in her voice. Then she directed her speech to Naruto, "Wait until Hinata-chan hears you. She'll break up with you in an instant."

"Not exactly. We're not blood siblings, and Hinata-chan does _know_ that I used to love you years ago." Naruto stated bluntly. He waved a hand in the air as if to demonstrate the nonchalance of the situation.

"Really Naruto, I feel sorry for your girlfriend."

"Hey! We all know that I'm the best boyfriend in the whole entire world!" Sakura snorted at Naruto's proclamation. "Besides, I love her _this_ much," The blond hair boy spread out his arms to exaggerate how much he loved his girlfriend.

"Then why would you proposed to me?" Sakura's eyes narrowed and she shook her head. If she didn't know any better, she would've grinned. Naruto could even make the most superfluous situation amusing.

At that particular moment, the jiggling of the keys resounded from the grand entrance door and a woman with plain chocolate brown orbs and matching colored hair bounced in, wearing an enthusiastic smile.

"Good morning, sunshine!" She chirped.

"What are _you_ doing here? And why the hell do you still have the key to this house?" Naruto pointed his index finger accusingly at the woman. Sakura glanced at him in quick disapproval.

"Why can't I be here, huh?" The woman quirked an eyebrow with a mischievous smile.

Naruto glared at her, "You're not welcome here! Not until you return Yukii-chan to me!"

"Naruto, be nice!" Sakura scolded.

Naruto folded his arms and pouted, "Yukii-chan was growing up just fine, but _someone_ had to kill her!"

"That was years ago, Naruto-chan," Jiraiya reminded him loftily from the end of the table, "You were sick in bed at that time and Tenten-chan was just trying to be nice by helping you water Yukii-chan. Don't mind him, Tenten, he's just bitter about Yukii-chan. Of course you're welcome here at any time. It makes me joyful that like all my children are with me."

"See Dobe? I'm welcome here at _any _time, so of course I have the keys to this house." Tenten grinned in triumph as she dangled the key in front of his face.

If possible, Naruto's lips puckered out even further. "She was being too helpful and drowned her! And I'm not a dobe!"

"Sakura, I need my hair done for—Tenten-neechan!" A high pitched voice squealed in delight. Frantic footsteps were suddenly running towards Tenten and all at once a small girl threw her arms around the Tenten, knocking her off center.

Tenten smiled and dropped her bag to the floor. Picking the girl up, she twirled her around in the air as contented giggles resonated through the house. "Hikari-chan! How's my favorite niece doing?"

"Hikari you traitor!" Naruto frowned, "You're supposed to hug Naruto-niisan first every morning! Not her!"

The little girl with hair as bright as the sun and eyes dark as coal smiled prettily at the older man, "I love you too, Naruto-oyajii!"

"What did you call me?" The older man growled with menace, but a grin was present on his face as he reached over to pick the younger girl up, "I told you not to call me oyajii! I'm at least twelve years younger than Jiraiya-oyajii." With that, he tackled her into fits of giggles and laughter.

"Gomenasai! Gomenasai! Naruto-niisan!"

"Hikari, let's get you ready for your first day of school," Sakura said, ushering the girl up the stairs into the bathroom. Tenten followed close behind with a grin plastered on her face.

"Why are you here so early? Don't you have a shift to get to soon?" Sakura inquired as she split Hikari's hair into three sections.

"About that…" Tenten trailed off and grinned sheepishly. "…I got fired."

The cherry blossom hair colored woman looked up and sighed, "You should've stuck to the business career rather than quitting altogether and becoming a waitress at some small restaurant after you got fired by that strict boss of yours. Technically it was your fault."

"There's nothing wrong with Choji's restaurant, mind you." Tenten retorted defensively. "His food is scrumptious and he never gets mad at me when I'm late. He is so much better than my previous boss."

"I love Choji-san's food!" Hikari interjected.

Sakura smiled at the girl and then looked up at Tenten, "How come you took Hikari there, but never me? And tell me why you got fired, no avoiding."

"Because Tenten-neechan loves me more than she loves you!"

A rosy color appeared on Tenten's face, "I…umm… I slipped and used the taboo word."

Sakura looked confusedly at Tenten, her hands paused in the middle of the process of braiding.

"I called Choji fat...but I was defending him! I _really_ was! Some stupid customer got mad because there was a stupid strand of hair in her food. She went all bitchy and demanded the chef to present himself!" Tenten threw her hands in the air for effect, "Then she bitched at him for like a good five minutes! _Everyone_ was looking, and she started rambling on how Chouji-san was fat and everything."

Sakura nodded. "So I took the initiative to defend him and I said to her that even if Chouji-san was fat, he could actually cook and she wouldn't par up to him even if she tried and… yeah." She ended up lamely, expecting a lecture from her friend. Instead, a chirpy laugh escaped the Sakura and her emerald jade eyes twinkled like the stars. Something triggered in Tenten, reminding her of the times when Sakura was just a young girl; cheerful, relaxed, and mischievous.

"Sakura-chan! If you guys don't hurry, Hikari-chan is going to be late!" Naruto's flamboyant voice echoed from the kitchen.

"What time is it?" Sakura yelled back, turning she made her hands work faster.

"Eight fifteen!" Naruto's voice echoed up, even louder than before.

"How about I drive Hikari-chan to school?" Tenten offered.

"Since she skipped a grade, I think it'd be wise for a guardian to accompany Hikari. Jiraiya-ojiisan has a meeting this morning with the school board and Naruto has his lecture class so he can't take Hikari."

"Don't you have to go to school, too?" Tenten asked.

"Hikari-chan, go downstairs and get your lunch box on the counter. I'll come down soon okay?"

"Hai!"

Tenten watched the bubbly girl skip out the door and heard her footfalls down the stairs. "You know, you shouldn't be worried about Hikari-chan's upbringing. I mean, Jiraiya-oyajii isn't that scary, he _did_ bring Naruto up."

"Pssh. Look at how warped Naruto turned out to be!"

Tenten giggled, "Yeah, but he did bring you and me up, too. Don't tell me that we're both warped. We can be weird, but we were brought up well. Besides, Hikari-chan has Naruto and you, especially you."

A flustered smile graced Sakura's face as she muttered, "That meant a lot to me."

_- MAELSTROM -_

"So tell me, don't you have to go to school?"

"School doesn't start until next week." Sakura answered as she bit into Chouji's syrup-coated anko dumplings. "This is delicious!"

Tenten glared back at her good naturedly, "So you never believed me, huh?"

Sakura merely smiled.

"So about tonight…" Tenten said tentatively.

"What about tonight?" Sakura took another bite of her dumplings and looked over at the other girl with a questioning stare.

"It's _Friday_," Tenten frowned.

"And…?"

"What do you mean by _'and_?' Don't tell me you're going to stay home again."

"Yes, I am. Want to join me with Hikari-chan? I think Naruto is bringing Hinata-chan home tonight. I don't know what Jiraiya-oyajii will do." Sakura smiled genuinely.

Tenten scoffed and shook her head disapprovingly, "Sakura, you're like a sister to me. I love you and everything, but why do you _always_ have to take me to the brink of insanity?"

Sakura looked up from her food, "I'm taking back what I said about the whole 'you should stay in the business career.' Acting suits you much better. Your drama and ways of exaggeration can get you very far in that career."

A growl of exasperation emitted from Tenten, "Stop playing around! Can't you do something _fun_ for once?"

"How about you? Can't you be serious for once?" Sakura turned it around on her.

Tenten said nothing.

Sakura could sense Tenten's brooding mood. "Your definition of fun is completely different to mine. However, I think I can spare a day with you. Speaking of which, I need to think of a new plot for my story."

"You have amazing plot ideas, Sakura. A bit clichéd, but your readers love it. As expected from the Best Time Seller, Vita—"

"Shh!" Sakura nearly knocked over the plate of spaghetti as she launched over to put a hand over Tenten's mouth, "Do you want to die?"

Tenten sweat dropped, "Gomen, Sakura-chan."

The pink haired girl continued to frown.

"But seriously, when are you ever going to reveal yourself, _Haruno_ Sakura?" Tenten knew she was treading on a serious matter now. She had to play her cards carefully or a fight would definitely break out between them.

Sakura flinched at Tenten's surprising seriousness. The girl was known to be ingenuous and bubbly, but here she was, looking at her with a grim face. It made her nervous, especially because of the looming topic.

"Please," Sakura rolled her eyes to add color to her attitude. "If my readers find out that Vita Winter, who writes romantic stories, is a woman with a tragic life, then surely the sales will drop."

Tenten bit her lip. The taboo subject was obviously touchy on Sakura's part, and the said girl was just covering it up with denying its existence. However, Tenten knew that in order for Sakura to live a better life, she needed to face her fears.

"You know what? I think you need to get yourself a man," She proclaimed.

Emerald eyes immediately narrowed and Sakura hissed out flatly, "No. We are_ not_ going to have this conversation again!"

"Why not?" Tenten demanded.

"I'm content with my life." Sakura answered, "I'm content with living with Hikari-chan, Jiraiya-oyajii, Naruto, and you. My life has no surprises or drama, so therefore, there are no disappointments either."

"But Naruto will leave when he marries Hinata-san. Hikari-chan will grow up to have her own life. Jiraiya-oyajii can't stay with you forever and one day, I will have a family of my own. You're just scared, Sakura. You're not forgiving yourself by living a life like this. She wouldn't want that—"

"You don't understand!" Sakura interrupted, her voice somewhat shrill. "You don't understand, Tenten. By living like this, I'm forgiving myself."

_BAM._

Tenten slammed her palms onto the exquisite table, ignoring all the stares cast their way. "You're not! You're just punishing yourself! That is _not_ forgiving yourself. You can't even face the past! You're practically living a lie!"

"I am not!" Sakura rebuked instantly, "I am not…"

"If you think you're forgiving yourself and that you've moved on from the past, then write about it. They say that a person can only move on when he announces to his world his story. "

Sakura's eyes widened at Tenten's challenge.

"If you promise to write your next story based on your life as _Haruno Sakura _– not as Vita Winter— then I will return to the business path."

Sakura bit her lips and stared down at her empty plate. "Fine. But here are my obligations. You have to snatch the secretary position under Hyuuga Neiji, Hinata-chan's cousin. When you complete that task, I will start writing my story."

Tenten frowned at the name. She'd heard the name before. "Hyuuga Neiji? Isn't he… really strict?"

Satirical amusement was present in Sakura's eyes as she announced softly, "We're both facing our inner demons. For you, I will try."

_- MAELSTROM -_

YOU HAVE 94 MESSAGES

There was another alert tone.

"_You can't be serious, Sasuke-kun!" _

"_Get out, Karin."_

_The red haired woman flinched at the harsh tone. "Fine," She grabbed her cell phone and started pressing buttons. Then she showed it to him, "See, I've already deleted all the men whom I was dating from my contact list. You can't be jealous of this anymore. I really love you, Sasuke-kun."_

"_Love? Do you love me as Sasuke or me as_ Uchiha_ Sasuke?" _

_There was a brief silence. "I'm sorry Sasuke."_

"_I know."_

"_I…"_

"_I _know._"_

YOU HAVE 115 MISSED CALLS.

Another alert tone.

YOU HAVE 75 VOICE MESSAGES.

Darkness enveloped the room except for the electric blue hue emitted from his cell phone. The soft tune coming from the stereo resonated through the room.

_A reflection of the blank sky_

_Stars once decorated this view _

_I wanna be with you_

_A dream worth mentioning_

_But insincerity pulled us apart_

_The embrace of coldness and sadness_

_I've lost control_

_Where are you?_

_Where are you?_

_Where are you?_

There was a click and the door unlocked.

"Uchiha Sasuke."

A lazy drawl of his name was emitted by his rather indolent roommate. There were shuffling sounds around the room and the 'cling' of a key being thrown onto a table resonated in the air. In the next moment, the stereo was abruptly turned off.

"Don't turn the lights on," He commanded and the intruder sighed.

"Why do I have to room with someone so troublesome?"

"You don't have to. Just move out and I'll pay the full cost." Even in the dark, Sasuke could tell that the other party was rolling his eyes.

"I was the one who rented in the first place, you know," Shikamaru drawled, "Anyway, Hyuuga Hinata is here to see you."

Sasuke's eyes snapped open, revealing golden pools of onyx. Hyuuga Hinata, with her trademark white eyes and long raven-colored hair close to the shade of indigo, was wearing a black satin dress, and standing directly above him.

Sasuke sat up. "Why are you here?" he asked, his voice softer than the tone he'd used with Shikamaru.

"I've been trying to reach you for days. You can't hide forever, Sasuke-kun," Her voice was soft, almost inaudible; she was shy and quiet, but she held an air of elegance par up to her family name. Back then, he remembered being annoyed at her stuttering habit. Over the years, the habit had diminished, but the girl was still quiet.

"I wasn't hiding. I just needed some time alone," he replied.

"You're just bitter because your brother left you in the clutches of your dictator father," Shikamaru injected from the kitchen. The sound of the refrigerator door being flung open could be heard. "Hyuuga-san, do you want water, coke, or pepsi? There's also milk and tea."

"Water is fine," answered Hinata offhandedly as she continued to stare at Sasuke. "And please call me Hinata."

"What?"

"Water, and call her Hinata," Sasuke repeated for her. "I'm not bitter about Itachi leaving. That useless brother moved out five years ago. Who would care about him?"

"Uh huh, whatever you say. If I recall, that song you were just listening to, was sung by Uchiha Itachi."

The heir glared at the lazy boy.

Another alert sound was heard.

"Ano… are you going to check your phone?" Hinata asked, giving him a reprieve from her tentative lecture.

Sasuke sighed, and picked up his phone.

"Sasuke, where are you, young man—" Click. _Delete_.

"Uchiha, you have a shoot this upcoming weekend. Call me back and I'll give you the details."

"Sasuke-kun, I'm sorry." Click. _Delete._

"Sasuke! When are you going to come home—" Click. _Delete_.

"Sasuke-niisan, you better keep your promise!"

"Pick up the damn phone!"

"Sasuke, pick up the phone, please."—" Click. _Delete_.

Click. _Delete._

Click. _Delete_.

Hinata watched as the Uchiha listened and deleted the majority of his messages, his face frowning over few, and at some point, he began glaring at them. Suddenly, his facial expression changed altogether as it froze in surprise.

"Little brother, miss me? Sorry about having to leave you with Otou-san, but I'm sure you'll be able to manage. After all, you were always the one better at keeping patience around him. I can't tell you where I am yet because knowing Otou-san, he'll just drag me back to be his pawn. _CriMson Night_ is doing a worldwide concert tour soon, so I'll be leaving the country, but if you ever need me, just call, text, email, or whatever works. Of course you can hate me and not contact me at all. Good luck on pursuing your career, foolish little brother. "

YOU HAVE NO MORE VOICE MESSAGES.

"Everything okay?" Shikamaru asked as he brought over a can of pepsi and Hinata's glass of water. His tone may have been lazy but his body language was alert.

"Hn."

"You broke up with your girlfriend didn't you?" The question came out more like a statement, if the incident was inevitable. "How troublesome."

Sasuke deigned to reply.

"What… happened?" Hinata asked, eyeing her ex-fiancé.

Sasuke remained quiet and Shikamaru decided to drop the subject altogether. "This is too troublesome. Let's just go out and see a movie, or we run a movie marathon."

"Aren't most women all the same?" the unexpected question left Sasuke and he ran an anxious hand through his hair.

"They're all troublesome, if that's what you're looking for," Shikamaru offered and took a long chug from his can. Hinata wisely kept quiet.

"Most of them are just after money and fame. What happened to the idealistic dreams of being in love?"

"You know, you sound like a girl right now," Shikamaru frowned, "Forget Karin. She was really troublesome and I didn't like her. Even if she was some prominent model, you'll find someone better."

"I…didn't like her… either," Hinata struggled out, "Don't worry, Sasuke-kun, you'll find someone better, just like Nara-san said."

Sasuke rolled his eyes, "Typical advice. If this was one of those dramas I've starring in, the next thing you know, I'll be falling for some nerd or wallflower."

"Anything is possible," laughed Shikamaru. "After all, who would've thought Uchiha Sasuke to be a romantic?"

Sasuke groaned in response, "The tabloids on Monday will be a killer."

"She is a troublesome woman after all."

* * *

**A/N: **Thanks for reading and please review!

**+K Tram~**

_Publication: 04.03.10  
Revision: 08.21.11_


	2. Power Conquers All

**Disclaimer: **Everything belongs to Masashi Kishimoto except for the setting and OCs.

* * *

Chapter 2: Power Conquers All

Tenten gulped as she looked at the brilliant aquamarine-colored glasses that reflected the sunshine's ultraviolet rays. The word _"huge"_ would be an understatement if used to describe the building in front of her. For Tenten, it was a whole entire state of its own; a gigantesque mall that could very well rival up to the castles she'd seen on websites while researching for her projects way back to her primary school years.

"I can't do this. I can't do this." She wailed desperately, latching herself onto her female companion, who happened to be Sakura.

"Why is it _him_ of all people and why so soon? It hasn't even been a day!" Tenten finally remembered him being in her seminar the first year. Apparently, he was too smart for the rest of them and had upgrade to the advanced classes. As for Tenten, she had dropped out of business school after the incident with Sakura.

Sakura rolled her eyes and kept walking, ignoring the peculiar stares casted their way. She knew that it wasn't because of her friend's childish clinginess, but merely because of her appearance. Just a glimpse of her, and one would not be able to forget the unusual girl with light cherry pink hair, pale ivory skin, and emerald jade eyes. The combination was odd, but it bizarrely fitted Sakura's image. The pink mane was pulled back into a thick low bun.

"Sakura-chan…"

"Perhaps you will learn something from working as Neji-san's secretary. I specifically asked him to look out for you. Come on, Tenten. You have to start acting your age. You're supposed to be more mature than me. Not the other way around."

Tenten smiled at the last statement; her mood lifted up completely, "Fine, Fine. Go and shop around here,while I go and ace this interview." With that, she unlatched herself from Sakura and skipped towards the elevator. Just before she entered, she turned around and held out a peace sign, "Don't forget, you need a new outfit for school next week. Also, don't forget to pray for my success! If I get in, you're treating me to dinner!"

"It's supposed to be the other way around," Sakura sighed and turned around, facing myriad shops and boutiques.

Even if she was an acquaintance of Hyuuga Neji, the General Manager of the company, she knew that she couldn't afford to shop at such luxury. The Hyuuga Corporation was internationally known, and practically reserved for rich women and mistresses from well-known families to shop in.

Someone tapped her from behind, "Excuse me, Miss?"

She whirled around to find an attractive man that seemed to be in his late twenties with equally peculiar hair color as her. His long platinum grey hair was tied up in a low ponytail. Although she was considered tall, he towered over her, being close to six feet three. Even his fashion sense was peculiar. A pair of motorcycle goggles rested on his hair, and even though it was on a cooler day of New York City, he was sporting a white long-sleeved motorcycle jacket with two huge buckles in the front that acted as zippers. Halfway down the sleeves, the color switched to orange and the style made it seem as if it was those long gloves that brides wore. A black shirt rested below the jacket and around his neck was a cream thin scarf. Tall, heavy looking boots with silver buckles covered up the hems of his white jeans and he wore black belt to match his outfit.

"Miss…?"

Sakura blinked.

She had been staring at him; almost gawking, for he was extremely attractive in that ridiculous outfit.

She finally managed to let out a single word. "Yes?"

"Are you interested in being a model?"

Her jade eyes widened and she felt her mouth dropped. "No!" The answer came out hoarse.

"Okay…" the man trailed off awkwardly and blinked. The tension in the air suddenly seemed heavier.

"I'm sorry. It's just that the proposal was unforeseen. I was quite startled." Sakura clarified. If she was younger and less mature, she probably would have laughed at the priceless face the man had presented her. However, she had grown up and humour was no reason to disregard proper etiquettes.

He laughed, "That was a quite display. You are the first woman to immediately refuse my offer. However, I think you're quite suited to be a model."

Sakura smiled politely, "Thank you very much. However I'm not interested. I'm sorry." She started to distance herself away from him, but he grabbed her arm, "I'm Yakushi Kabuto, under the Yamanaka agency. If you happen to change your mind, please do not hesitate to call me."

Out of nowhere, he managed to fish out his business card and handed it to her. Sakura's polite smile wavered unconditionally; she looked as if she was going to break down any moment. "I will… if I change my mind."

Watching her disappeared into a store with a catlike walk, an amused grin materialized to Kabuto's lips. A mischievous glint shimmered in his dark, enigmatic eyes. As a talented, renowned scout, Yakushi Kabuto knew that she was the one they had been searching for. She was meant to be in the modeling industry with that natural, graceful walk of hers. Getting her to enter was just a matter of time. If requests didn't work, then he would have to resort to other means.

"Omoshiroii ne~ (Interesting)"

_- MAELSTROM -_

_"_Love?_ Do you love me as Sasuke or me as_ Uchiha_ Sasuke?" _

Arisugaki Karin, who was waiting for her makeup artist to come, stared blankly at the mirror in front of her. The break up scene replayed in her mind like a soundless broken record, concentrating just on that particular scene.

Her heart hurt and before she knew it, tears had unconsciously fallen from her eyelids. She didn't know it would hurt _this _much. She didn't know that she had subconsciously fallen for Uchiha Sasuke. She didn't…

_" Do you love me as Sasuke or me as_ Uchiha_ Sasuke?"_

Her lips curled into an ironic smile; a smile full of anguish and despair. She now knew the answer: she had fallen for Sasuke,_ himself_. But she wasn't sure if it was true love.

'Love' for Karin was an emotion she couldn't define. It was a meaningless emotion. She had acted in many romance dramas and chick flicks, but never in her quest was she able to experience the true emotion of love. Never once did her heart race when she kissed her male partner. There wasn't that spark that was described in the romantic stories that she read.

Karin stared down at the cover of Intertwined, written by the famous Vita Winter. It was like any other high school romance novel, but Vita Winter had the power to make her experience the sentiments of the heroine in the story. There was some haunting magic about her stories. They allured her and pulled her into the magical realm of fantasy. That was how she was able to act; she could only base it on the emotions she felt from reading the script and novels. This was the first time she was able to experience her _own_ emotions.

Karin sighed. Now that she understood what it meant to be love, Vita Winter's stories felt like a fairy tale. _Of course, they're stories,_ she thought to herself. _Stories always end with a Happily Ever After— something I will never have. _

"Are you sure you're ready for today's photo-shoot? You look like shit."

Karin looked up to find her co-worker – whom she would not consider as a friend – Tayuya dressed in a blue denim skirt with a brown off-the-shoulder cotton top. A pair of tall black boots completed her outfit, whereas her ridiculous salmon-colored hair was curled.

A dead cold stare was directed towards Tayuya, "I am quite aware of that. If you don't mind, can you please leave?"

However, the other model did not move. Instead, a haughty smirk appeared on her lips as she placed a fancy manicured hand on Karin's shoulders and sighed mockingly, "I know how hard it must be on you right now. After all, a month ago, you were just boasting how your _Sasuke-kun_ would succeed his father's company and once doing so, he would propose to you. I guess he found out your motives and your secret relationships, huh?"

Karin gritted her teeth and clenched the hands rested in her lap, "Go away."

"But then again, I do feel bad for you. If Uchiha Sasuke and Arisugaki Karin weren't everyone's favourite idols, then they wouldn't be constantly trailed by the paparazzi, and if they weren't trailed, then there wouldn't be such a humiliating scandal. Oh excuse me, I mean Uchiha Sasuke. Arisugaki Karin only got famous through being Uchiha Sasuke's girlfr—"

"Go away, Tayuya! _Please_."

Tayuya stayed silent as she watched the other model stare at the mirror, dejected and vulnerable. Arisugaki Karin had said_ please_. This was the first time Tayuya had seen her like that. Arisugaki Karin was known as The Bitch Princess. While directors bow down to her orders and her unreasonable demands, her female co-workers plot to destroy her due to her fortunate blessings – a nice figure and a showbiz talent. To add fuel to the fire, Karin and the rising star, Uchiha Sasuke dated after their movie, _Summer's Haven_.

Tayuya knew that Karin had many enemies and very few friends. Tayuya never tried to befriend her even if they went to the same school. Now that she had seen this vulnerable side of Karin, she didn't know how to react.

"Tch, whatever." That was the only response she could think of. "You better be ready for the photo shoot. I don't want to waste my whole day doing nothing just because of your stupid drama."

With that, Tayuya walked out the doors.

_- MAELSTROM -_

"I failed it! He didn't even give me a chance to explain myself!" Tenten cried exasperatedly in the passenger seat of her red Pontiac Sunfire as Sakura drove.

"That guy was a demon! Who has weird, pearly, freaky eyes anyways?"

"You haven't met Naruto's girlfriend yet, but she has the exact same pair of orbs as her cousin." Sakura nonchalantly stated while staring ahead; her emerald eyes never left the road as she drove down the street.

"Freaky! I wonder how Naruto can stand dating someone like that," Tenten huffed as she tore a bag of skittles and poured them out with ferocity into her left hand.

"That's not very nice to say. Hinata-chan is very nice, although she is a bit timid and quiet. However, she is nice nonetheless."

Tenten sighed, "Fine. I'm sorry. But still, I hate that guy! He just stared at me through the entire interview without even blinking, and then he started bombarding me with all kinds of unrelated questions about my _personal _life!"

"Why, maybe he's interested in you?" An amused grin spread across Sakura's face, "Wouldn't that be nice? If you can marry into a rich family, that is."

"Oh please! I'm not like those other girls who want to marry for wealth or fame. I practically _grew_ up living a wealthy life."

"Don't exaggerate. You were just a maidservant who was spoiled by your mistress, and you still haven't gotten over that abnormal habit of yours, huh?"

"Nope!" Tenten chirped as she separated the red skittles from the rest and ate them. "Do you want one, Sakura?"

"You know I don't like candy."

"I don't get it. You adore chocolates, but you hate skittles." Tenten frowned as she popped another red skittle into her mouth. "Anyways how was your shopping spree? Anything happened while I was at my interview?"

"No, nothing happened."

Sakura knew that she could never tell Tenten about the Yakushi-san's offer. Definitely not, because it was very likely that her friend would jump at the news and make a living hell out of her until she accepted the offer. Sakura had no wish to be part of the modeling and showbiz industry. It was too complicated and it wasn't her style. She was set on to never agreeing to it. Besides, she had her writing job to support her.

* * *

**Star Dust's Celebrated Couple Break-Up**  
By: Mitarashi Anko  
_**August 26, 2014**_

**On Saturday, witnesses saw Uchiha Sasuke waiting outside the cinema holding a bouquet of roses. The mysterious date was no other than Arisugaki Karin. However, she showed up after a period of nearly an hour with a fuming aura as she stomped up to her boyfriend. **

**Uchiha Sasuke looked dejected and irritated at the appearance of his girlfriend as he handed her the bouquet of roses. A disagreement broke out between them and ended with Sasuke leaving Karin standing alone with the bouquet in her hands. **

**Yesterday, Karin confirmed courteously that Sasuke and she were no longer in a relationship due to personal reasons. Even if Karin stated, "We both agreed to part ways." the make-up could not cover the swollen eyes. **

**As for Uchiha Sasuke, he refused to give his side of the story. From the pictures taken before this week, it looked as if Karin was having meaningless flings with unidentifiable men. Could this be the reason to their break up? **

**The bigger question is the production of the anticipated drama, ****Broken****. Both parties were casted in the same drama with leading roles. How will Arisugaki Karin and Uchiha Sasuke re-create their chemistry if they can't even fix their own personal relationship?**

* * *

Midori High School was nothing compared to Sasuke's previous school, Konoha High School, which was practically a village within the city. Konoha was reserved for the wealthy families, the extremely talented and gifted students, and it hosted education for the people of the showbiz world.

While Konoha was a private school, Midori was a public high school, but Sasuke found it much more tolerable. It wasn't easy for him to study at a public school, especially since he was Tokyo's most promising actor and was occasionally the subject of all the daily gossips. The school was in chaos when he first moved there. For the first few months, students would often point at him and get his autograph. Girls would try disgusting tactics in attempt to seduce him. However, the commotion slowly waned and everyone slowly let him have his personal space. There were occasional talks as his peers tried to get make a conversation with him. The high school principal was generous enough to prohibit all media on school property so he didn't have to worry about being pestered by the media.

The reason why he went to another school other than Konoha was because he didn't want to be compared to his brother, Itachi, whom they called the tensai_ (translation: _prodigy). Even though he loved his brother very much, he wanted to establish his own existence.

It was only after Itachi left with his band that Sasuke decided to leave home as well. He couldn't stand the disconsolate mansion with practically no one around.

"Are you sure you want to get out?" Shikamaru questioned with a raised eyebrow as he eyed the outside surrounding.

Sasuke followed the gaze and as they had predicted, the media were swarming around Midori High as if they were bees getting honey. Sasuke heaved a sigh as he unbuckled his seat belt.

_Might as well get it over with._

"Wait, Morino-sensei will deal with this."

As soon as Shikamaru said the sentence, the entranced door slammed open and their principal, a scary man with two scars upon his face wearing a bandanna - unfitting for his title- stormed out.

"Didn't we have this conversation already?" His voice was deadly calm as he spoke. A cruel smirk appeared on his face, "If you trespass the school property, which you are currently on right now, we have the right to call the police."

"You don't scare me!" A man from the press retorted rapidly. If it weren't for his hoarse voice, he could've probably resembled a little kid.

Mysterious glints flashed through Morino Ibiki's eyes, "Are you sure?"

It was a simple question but the air of danger clearly wrapped around those words.

"My, my, don't you think that's a bit partial, Morino-san?" A lady who clearly had a superior aura than the rest of her crew declared. Like an empress, her words silenced all her crew members. She smiled softly, but it was a cunning smile.

"Matarashi Anko." Ibiki's jaws clenched, indicating that the woman wearing the tight black netted shirt overtop a beige undershirt and a trench coat overtop wasn't an easy woman.

Anko proceeded as if she hadn't heard Ibiki. "Midori High School is the only public school that doesn't permit the media to be on their school property. That doesn't seem reasonable. Considering that other schools greatly hate our presence, why is that only Midori got the special treatment? Is it because of Uchiha Sasuke? Is the director kissing up to the Uchiha, or is it because he has accepted money from the Uchiha family, or maybe, it was you? Midori High School isn't even a private school, yet it has protection par up to Konoha High School."

Sasuke's jaws clenched. For that half of a second, he was about to storm out the car and attacked the woman who wrote numerous articles on him. However, Shikamaru, who had foreseen the whole situation, grabbed his arm.

"She's trying to lure you out. Besides, you wouldn't want to be charged for assault and make a bad publicity error in the newspaper."

A black Mercedes suddenly pulled up to the entrance of Midori, surprising everyone as they scrambled to clear way for it. The door opened, and a man who greatly resembled a member of a mafia with his fashion, which consisted of a pair of jeans, a red blazer over a red shirt, and wild platinum blond hair. A pair of sunglasses covered half of his vision. If he was smoking, it would've looked as if he was seeking entertainment out of a lost soul who had unfortunately caught his attention.

"Jiraiya-san," Ibiki bowed down.

Both Shikamaru and Sasuke stared, including all the students who were walking past the school gates. The school yard that was previously filled with chatters became silent.

Everyone was thinking, _'Who the hell is he to deserve such respect?'_

Jiraiya slipped the sunglasses off his eyes and put it over his hair. A wild grin spread across his face, revealing himself to be a complete idiot and totally contradicting the previous presentation of himself.

"Mitarashi-san, if you continue to pester our school, I'm afraid I will have to take immediate charges against you. Orochimaru won't be pleased."

"So you became the director of the school board, huh?" Anko leered at him with clenched fists. "No wonder Orochimaru hates you so much."

Almost all mouths dropped in astonishment.

Jiraiya merely smiled at her statement. "Matsaba-san, would you please escort Mitarashi-san and her crew out?"

Anko waved her hand up to stop the bodyguards of Jiraiya, who were coming at them. "I can walk on my own," She declared coldly, revealing pride and defiance in her eyes. "But that won't stop me from finding Uchiha Sasuke. After all, I _am_ Mitarashi Anko."

_- MAELSTROM -_

"Ibiki, I have request."

The principal of Midori High School raised a puzzled eyebrow at the director of the school board. It wasn't like Jiraiya couldn't pull strings to tamper with the school files, but like before, he wouldn't tell him his plans. The last time was with the Uchiha, and this time, it was a rather beautiful young girl.

"Don't tell me she's your mistress." Nobody laughed at his dry humor. In fact, the girl's eyes narrowed dangerously at the statement.

Jiraiya coughed, "Don't make unnecessary jokes. Just because I'm womanizer doesn't mean I'll hit on my own daughter." He patted Sakura's shoulders and she blinked, releasing the tension in her shoulders.

"So how can I help you this time?" Ibiki sighed.

Jiraiya glanced over at Sakura. "Her name is Haruno Sakura."

"Haruno… isn't that the fashion industry owned by the Sabakus?"

Jiraiya nodded, "I want her to be enrolled into this school. I've provided all the necessary information here, including her transcripts, history, and records." He pulled out a rather thick brown envelope and placed it on Ibiki's desk.

"Everything in here is classified. Make sure no one knows about this." Ibiki nodded in accord as he picked up the brown envelope. "This better be the last time, Jiraiya. Even though she's accepted, we haven't officially enrolled her into our school yet."

"It's not like you can't do something about it." Jiraiya waggled his eyebrow. "Come on, for ol' buddies? I promise this will be the last."

Ibiki drawled a deep breath as he shook his head in resignation, "Fine, but you _better_ make it the last time."

_- MAELSTROM -_

Fifteen minutes before the bell rang, a commotion about the director of the school board and the mysterious girl that was with him spread throughout the classrooms. There were talks about the wild, yet handsome director, but most conversations centered on the girl with pink hair.

"Who would arrive at the end of the summer break?" A student inquired. After all, Midori High wasn't exactly a place where anyone would transfer to. It was a rather plain, average school, except for the fact that Uchiha Sasuke was a student there.

"I bet she wants to get close to our Sasuke-kun," Some girls whined childishly, fearing the new student would steal away their prince charming. That was how the rumour that the new student was a stalker began.

So when Haruno Sakura stepped into class of 30-A with Ibiki-sama, who explained the circumstances about the transfer to the homeroom teacher, Hayate, many of the students did not bother to make her acquaintances. She wasn't exactly the ideal girl with big breast and model qualities. She could be pretty if she tried, but she did not wear make-up. She was not like Haku, who was a magazine model featured in Koakuma Ageha. Also, because of the rumours of her being another obsessed Sasuke-kun fangirl, girls immediately loathed her. They did not want competition towards their beloved idol (even if it was prohibited to stalk him or bother him during class hours).

"Minna-san, it's a bit late into the year, but I want you to welcome your new classmate, Haruno Sakura," Hayate-sensei called out.

Everyone who recognized the surname took a decent look at her and gasped. The girl in front of them had an uncanny combination of light pink hair, somewhat close to the shade of the cherry blossoms which matched her name. Not only so, her eyes were emerald, which only few Japanese have.

Sasuke lifted his eyes away from the clouds he was staring idly at and looked at the girl. For a moment, he was enhanced by her. Not at her beauty, but something else altogether. There was this aura around her which seemed to protect her from people like him. Even though she was their age, she still looked as if she was entering her first year of high school and was trying too hard to fit in. Her hair was tied up into a bun, which did not coordinate with her straight bangs.

"So Sakura-chan, please introduce yourself." Hayate-san requested.

The girl stood in front of the class for a long while, and then slowly, she produced her very first phrase, "I am Haruno Sakura…" She trailed off rather awkwardly and silence fell upon the room.

"Well…" Hayate sighed at the lack of conversation. Usually his class was louder; it was amazing what a new presence could achieve. "You can get to know each other later. Please take a seat behind any unoccupied desk."

The girl made her way all the way to the back of the class, and took a seat near the window. On the way there, she passed Sasuke. Haunting emeralds eyes met with pools of onyx, aligning their visions in a moment that was too short for anyone else to catch.

"I hope all of you had a great sum—" The door to the classroom opened, interrupting the speech.

Everyone turned towards the person causing commotion, which resulted in some infatuated sighs from both boys and girls.

"Late on the first day, Haku-chan," Hayate frowned as he glanced at the clock.

"Gomen-ne Hayate-sensei," Haku bowed down to show her sincerity, "I had a photo-shoot last night, so I overslept."

"If you can't balance work and school, then you have to quit. We've already talked about this," The frown that graced his lips deepened, "Just take a seat behind an empty desk."

Haku nodded and she made her way to an empty seat in the front. However, her eyes drifted to the back where Sakura sat. Their eyes met for a moment and Haku could do nothing but stare. She stared at the pink-haired girl; her eyes widened and her mouth agape.

In that moment, time seemed to have stopped. They were merely staring at each other, waiting for something to happen, something to intrude and break their trance. Haku, who was holding a pen, loosened her grip. The pen rolled off her hands and onto the ground, creating a dissonant sound.

A single sentence broke through the deaf silence:

"Aren't you supposed to be dead, Sabaku Sakura?"

* * *

**A/N: **Ta-dah! Yes, Haku is portrayed as a girl in this story! Please remember to review, as they inspire me to write. To all those who reviewed, thank you so much! Please continue to do so!

**+K. Tram~**


	3. They Were Pretenders

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing except for the existence of Hikari and Morningstar Café. Everything else belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.

* * *

Chapter 3: They Were Pretenders

To act was to pretend.

And acting was Sasuke's second nature.

Memorizing lines and creating his role, Sasuke thoroughly enjoyed it.

While many actors only accepted roles that interested them, Sasuke was satisfied with getting any that could broaden his horizon. Sure, the plot can entice actors into performing better, but for Sasuke, he was enticed by the acting itself.

When actors and actresses act, they would imagine themselves being another person, but Sasuke knew it wasn't the true essence of acting. Imagining is the first step into acting, but if actors were to always remain within that scheme, they wouldn't be able to grow.

Itachi was the first person who had knocked him into that realization.

_The two Uchiha brothers, Itachi and Sasuke, sat in front of the television screen, playing _Drazt_, the latest game created by their father's company, which wasn't even sold on the market._

"_Yes! I finally beat you!" The seventeen year old younger Uchiha exclaimed boisterously with a defiant grin on his face. _

_He saw Itachi's eyes gleamed with amusement as he placed down the controller on his lap. "So little brother, what are your plans for the future? Are you going to take over Otou-san's company?"_

_Sasuke's onyx eyes scrunched themselves up and he looked at Itachi in uncertainty, "Why would I do that? Aren't _you_ the heir who's going to take over the company?"_

"_You know I don't intend to take over the business, Sasuke."_

_While Sasuke heard that sentence too many times, he fully believed that it was Itachi's way to prod him into growing up and maturing. He had always believed that Itachi would follow his father's footsteps and take over the company. _

"_Yeah, obviously not," Sasuke replied nonchalantly, entertaining Itachi, "Because you're gonna bring your band to the national level," He had meant it as a sarcastic statement._

"_Obviously, little brother," Itachi drawled, "How about you? What do you plan for your future? Are you going to take my place?"_

"_Of course not! I'm going to become the best actor in the entertainment industry!"_

_Itachi chuckled, "Foolish little brother, that's too idealistic of you. You can't become the top actor the way you are now."_

"_Why not?" Sasuke demanded, "I won the Best Newcomer award."_

"_You're not Kami-sama, are you?" Itachi quirked en eyebrow, "Even Icarus, who received a pair of waxed wings from his talented father, wasn't able to reach Kami-sama. Daedalus, who created the wings, knew that even with Icarus' talent and determination, he wouldn't be able to reach the place where Kami-sama resides. You won't get far with just determination and skills. You need to live it. You need to throw away everything just to reach there. Nothing must stop you. You have to delicate your life solely to the entertainment career."_

"_I won't lose onii-chan!" _

_That was his pledge._

Sasuke had decided on becoming the best actor in the history, and like his brother said, he wouldn't get far with just determination and skills. He knew that he already grasped the most important concept of becoming the best actor in the entertaining industry: that was to _live _inside that role, but to reach that point was the hard part. After all, he was much better at pretending than living.

"You're absent minded today. What's the problem?" If Sasuke had zoned out any further, he would've missed the comment that his manager, Hatake Kakashi, made as he made a right turn into another crowded road.

He didn't bother to make a reply to the incompetent comment. Kakashi had been his manager ever since his debut and the problem was glaringly obvious. After all, it wasn't every day that Uchiha Sasuke made the front page of the paper with a scandalous story.

"Your aspiration is to be at the top of the entertainment industry. If you can't get over this obstacle, you won't be able to reach it," Kakashi offered genuinely as he glanced at him, "You're good at pretending, Sasuke, and so is she. If you two play the correct cards in the first shoot, then perhaps the damage made by the paper can be mended."

Sasuke cringed slightly at the word, 'relationship'. Truthfully, he had always been doubtful on starting a relationship with anyone. In fact, before entering the entertainment industry, the word, 'relationship' didn't exist in his vocabulary.

It was due to the looks that the Gods above _awarded _him with.

As far back as he could remember, his relationship life with girls was never normal.

Starting the age of nine, the girls around his age looked at him with open innocent eyes whenever he walked past them with his nanny.

Starting the age of ten, he received a handful of gifts from _girls_ for ludicrous holidays such as Valentine's Day or Christmas. Don't even remind him of his_ birthday._

Starting the age of twelve, he received anonymous letters of admirations.

Starting at the age of fourteen, the anonymous love letters became proclamations of eternal love. Sasuke literally had to hide from his stalkers.

At the age of sixteen, when Sasuke entered the showbiz world, he was hit with the news that he had a fiancée—Hyuuga Hinata, the heiress to the Hyuuga Corporation.

Two years later, to his guilt, he left the heiress at the altar on their wedding day, deciding that it was time to take charge of his future and stop being the pawn of his father. When he starred in his first romance drama with _Summer Haven_, he decided to give his co-actress, Arisugaki Karin, a chance in the romantic department.

Two days ago, at the age of twenty, Uchiha Sasuke broke up with his first girlfriend, Arisugaki Karin.

"You don't have to worry, Kakashi." Sasuke assured him, "I won't let personal affairs disrupt my professional career."

A rather imposing smile appeared on Kakashi's face and he said, "I admired your perseverance and work ethics, Sasuke. But even if you're able to put your personal affairs aside, how do you think our Lady Princess will act?"

"It'll be fine, Kakashi."

_- MAELSTROM -_

Morningstar Café.

A small café situated at the corner of an intersection, across Tokyo's central hospital, was run by a man named, Teuchi, and his daughter, Ayame.

Sakura honestly didn't know why she gave in to the sudden impulse of applying for a job there, but she was quite bewildered when she received the acceptance phone call. She wasn't a high spirited person like Naruto, nor was she lively and cheerful like Tenten. In retrospect, she was definitely not suitable for working in the customer service department.

_But this must be my fate_, Sakura concluded as she willed herself into opening the entrance of the small café.

Everything about the café was the same as it had been five years ago. The walls were painted in different shades of blue, resembling a sky where the night was slowly fading into dawn. Small speckles that resembled stars were ornate in the background with one single visible star. The booths were electric blue, whereas the tables and the single armchairs were white. The fluorescent white lights and the furniture were what kept the café bright and glowing.

While her Sakura loved the café, she didn't know what to feel at the familiar prospect in front of her. She was so used to the whirlwind of changes in her life that she didn't know how to react to something that seemed to have frozen in time.

Morningstar café held too many agonizing memories that she would rather forget. While she hated changes, she loathed things such as reminiscences. Changes could make one's life turn 180 degrees around, it could also easily numb out feeling and make one forget about the past, whereas reminiscences triggered the unwanted and painful past.

The café was a place where people go for a coffee and sometimes delectable pastries, but ultimately, it served the purpose as escape from the reality. Like a time machine, it had the power to manipulate time, stopping the grains in the time capsule as if humans had all the time in the world. It existed for people to forget the time and concentrate on their work. It was the place where Sakura went to whenever she was having a nervous breakdown; whenever she felt as if her life was falling apart. It was the place that helped her calm down.

While all these reasons were valid reasons to which she provided herself into convincing herself why she applied, she knew she was running away from the real cause. She loved everything in her life, and she was frightened at the fact that one day, she would forget the vow she made.

She didn't have the right to love life. Even if she told Tenten she was trying to forgive herself, she definitely didn't believe in it. Truthfully, Sakura was afraid that she would forget the sins she had committed in the past if she continued living so.

Sakura refused to be forgiven.

While she was hiding from her past, she had to make sure that she wouldn't forget it. She needed something to connect her to the past; to haunt and remind her of her of her ugly, wretched self, but…

"Sakura-chan, there you are!" Ayame sighed in relief when she saw Sakura reluctantly walk through the front doors of Morningstar. "Can you change into your uniform and lend us a hand?"

A perfect smile that could very rival Mona Lisa's appeared on Sakura's face.

"Sure."

…it was all a façade. A complete pretence. As much as Sakura wanted to believe that her life was great, she could never completely cover her past.

Sakura was good at pretending.

She was good at smiling.

Even if her heart didn't hold genuine feelings, she could swallow down all the doubts and worries, pretending and smiling as if the world was hers.

_- MAELSTROM -_

"In all honesty, you two were selected because of your reputation."

Sasuke's jaws cringed at that statement, as he resisted the temptation to cast a murderous look at Ryuuzaki Koto, the director. The whole idea now seemed stupid and he was steps away from walking out on the whole drama production.

The only thing that stopped him was the name, Uchiha Sasuke. Uchihas don't walk out of their profession, and Sasuke was determined to go through with it. Hell, he set himself up for this challenge, so over his dead body would he back down from it.

"…hopefully your previous history with each other will assist you in this drama rather than creating more obstacles. I know you guys can manage it if Uchiha-san is here. His display of the professional attitude in the entertainment industry is remarkable."

Sasuke knew the whole procedure all too well. Directors would be kissing up his arse so that he could perform well and that would add to their reputation: _Director so-and-so produced this so-and-so movie and won a Television Drama Academy Award._

While there were some co-workers who admired him, there were also others who hated him for his talent due to envy. The production of _Broken_ wasn't any different; it was a competitive industry after all.

He felt his leading co-worker tensed beside him and he found himself tensing along with her; realizing that the woman, who was his ex-girlfriend, could still have an effect on him.

Hinata was right. Maybe he did love Karin even if their status together had been for publicity in the first place. Too bad it had one-sided all along and Karin only dated him because of his surname and his model features—the definition of a beautiful angel.

"I know you guys already know the plotline of _Broken _and that you've received the script—"

"Actually," Kakashi interrupted swiftly, "We haven't received the script. We've only received the general outline about a man who suffers from his past and needs to forgive himself in order to move on, and a woman who lost everything—her parents, her friends, her innocence, her identity, and ultimately, her past."

Ryuuzaki smiled, while nodding affirmatively, "Yes. It is based on the novel of Vita Winter's – quite a romantic story, isn't it?"

Sasuke wasn't familiar with the author's work, but he remembered some articles featuring the author in the newspaper. He also remembered seeing her books featured in the bookstores whenever he walked past them. He also remembered Karin's dreamy sighs every time she placed a bookmark in one of her ridiculous romantic books and he was sure that most of the works were written by the celebrated author. Sasuke had never read any of her books and he couldn't remember much about her except for—

"You mean the mysterious writer whose identity is unknown?" Kakashi questioned. His eyes widened in an incredulous manner, "How did you managed to get her permission?"

Koto smiled boisterously, as if he was quite proud of himself, "It wasn't that hard. I just contacted her publishing company and asked them to forward my message to her and she gave a favourable answer."

"Does this mean we get to see her?" Chio, who was another co-worker, gasped, but Koto shook his head.

"I'm afraid not. She said she won't be interfering with the productions as long as it receives promising reviews."

"That's pretty demanding of her, considering that she's not going to interfering with it." Kakashi mused, "Very intriguing, indeed."

"What do you think about her stories, Uchiha-san?"

"I've actually never read any of her works," Sasuke admitted.

The director laughed "Typical teenager boys. They don't concern themselves with girly, romantic novels, huh?"

_No_. _It's just that I'm not fond of the popular in stuff._

He never liked the overrated stuff. There was something about it that irked him. The more people tell him to watch the latest movie or listen to the latest song, Sasuke ended up avoiding it.

"How about our leading actress?"

"Although I'm a fan of Vita Winter's, I didn't particularly like that book of hers," Karin confessed as her lips curved down, forming a frown, "It's much too depressing and angsty."

"But that's the point!" A co-actor whose name Sasuke hadn't learned yet interjected, "_Broken_ is more realistic and darker than Vita's previous novels. It shows that Winter-san has matured as a writer."

Karin scoffed, "Well, I don't like it."

Sasuke found his lips curving into a smirk at Karin's infamous personality.

"Arisugaki-san, if you don't like this particular work of Vita Winter's, why did you agreed to star in this production?" Another minor role actor, Takeshi, questioned. His eyes narrowed as he frowned.

Karin merely smirked, "Simple. I got the offer as the leading actress."

A typical response for the Bitch Princess.

_- MAELSTROM -_

"Long night, isn't it?"

Sakura turned to find a perspiring Ayame, who grinned at her. The daughter of the shop was a jovial and sociable person, and Sakura found herself paling in comparison when she was around her. It was a mystery to her why the other girl still hasn't found herself a boyfriend yet.

Ayame skilfully placed the tray full of empty decorative glass in her left hand down, "I wish we could have more employees, but my dad is such a picky employer," Ayame frowned at her own comment. "But he took a liking to you, obviously."

Sakura stared at her in astonishment, in which Ayame paid no notice to, "I must say, I never liked you when I first saw you, but you proved me wrong. You're actually more humane than I considered you to be."

She didn't know how to reply to the other waitress' confession, so she picked up the previous tray and headed to the kitchen in hopes of avoiding the topic altogether. However, the daughter of the café followed her footsteps. In some ways, Ayame reminded her of Naruto, who continued to talk, oblivious to the _stop_ signs that lit right in front of him.

"You don't talk a lot, Sakura-chan. It'll be better in this field if you speak up and smile genuinely at your customer. That way, the customers will feel more comfortable around you."

Sakura started washing the utensils and the glass cups.

"You should also change that hairstyle. Perhaps put it down to enhance your look."

_I wonder how Naruto's doing with Hikari, _Sakura thought to herself, unaware of a frown that was slipping on her face. _He better not be teaching her anything weird again, or telling stupid stories, but then again, it's Naruto. I hope Hinata is there, or Tenten._

"…Want to know why?"

"Why?" Sakura responded promptly without missing a beat, pretending as if she was completely on topic when in reality, she had no idea what was going on.

"Because Uchiha Sasuke usually comes around this time!" A lovesick expression was on Ayame's face as she sighed dramatically, while Sakura momentarily froze, dropping the glass she had been holding. It fell to the floor and smashed into shards of crystals.

"I'm sorry!" She gasped as she bent down to pick up the crystal glass, only to be grabbed by Teuchi, who had walked into the room to check up on them.

"You're going to get cut like that."

Outside the kitchen, the entrance bell rang, indicating the presence of a customer.

"I'm _really_ sorry!"

"It's okay." Teuchi nodded his head in acceptance of her apology, "Just go out and tend to the customer. Ayame-chan will take care of this."

Sakura nodded dazedly at the owner's directive and mentally hit herself. On the first day of work and she'd already caused problems for others. No wonder no one wanted to hire her before.

"If I knew you were going to react like that, I would've let you wait until you saw the real live being," Ayame teased with a wink. Sakura could tell that the other girl thought she was another fan of Uchiha Sasuke; the type of fan that idolizes the guy, but would never imagine she would be able to see the real life being.

"If you're lucky, it might be Sasuke-kun."

A normal Sasuke-kun fan would probably faint at that thought, but Sakura had other thoughts.

_- MAELSTROM -_

Sasuke didn't know what compelled him to talk to the woman in front of him. He was never the gregarious person, and he knew that the woman was equally surprised at his initiation of the conversation. After all, Uchiha Sasuke does not go around instigating conversations with people, much less asking a stranger to have coffee with him. Sasuke then concluded that he must have gone dim-witted from the discussion of the enigmatic writer, Vita Winter; and the woman in front of him, he decided, wasn't a complete stranger.

While Sasuke sipped his black coffee and stared at Sakura, Sakura was staring intensely at her tea as if her life depended on it. Rush hour at the café had passed and the café was now dimmed, almost dark as if it wasn't open; just the way Sasuke liked it, for it didn't attract attention to him.

"What do you want?" Green eyes blazed with fire and caution as she looked up and stared into his eyes.

"You don't have to be so cautious. It's not like Midori doesn't allow its students to have a part-time job."

"It's not every day Uchiha Sasuke waltzes into a café and asks a girl to have coffee with him. What is it that you're after?" As much as she was cryptic, she was also curt to the point that Sasuke found it somewhat alarming, especially because she gave off an impression of being delicate and somewhat broken, like the character of the girl in _Broken_.

"You know you look really familiar. I swear we've met before."

He didn't miss the glimmer of alarm that flickered across her exotic, green eyes. It was present for half of a second, before Sakura composed herself and lifted the cup of tea to her lips, pretending nothing was out of the ordinary.

Another few seconds passed before she put the cup down and smiled charmingly at him.

"I'm surprised you remember," She flashed him another smile that resembles one of his fangirls. "You actually gave me a hug at your concert six years ago at Tokyo Dome. I was one of the few the lucky ones who got to meet you. I'm so honoured that you still remember me."

If Sasuke wasn't a pretender, he wouldn't have been able to detect her lies. However, he was one – he lived to pretend— so just one word from her mouth, his inner liar detector went off.

He had to admit that she was good at lying, but she couldn't triumph him. On the outside, her lies were smooth and relatively realistic; she accomplished her feat of remaining calm and unperturbed, but he knew better than to fall for it.

He returned her a charming smile of his own and pretended he was Itachi. After all, if anyone had the power to manipulate someone, it was his brother. "Yes, I remember you. Wasn't your hair blond last time?"

She recoiled at his inquiry and blinked, "What?"

"Your hair. When did you dye it pink?"

She continued to stare at him as if she had seen a ghost. If she wasn't turning pale and was starting to look like she was coming down with a cold, Sasuke believed she would've made a good actress in one of those horror movie shows where the main character met her expected ghost.

"Never mind that then. What I'm more curious is about today's occurrence. You know, when Haku proclaimed the astonishing news that Haruno Sakura was supposedly _dead_." His lips curved up into an amused smile.

Haruno finally collected herself and said frostily, "If you didn't know, that Sakura is Sabaku Sakura. Didn't you watch the news, Uchiha? It was announced all over Tokyo five years ago."

He did hear the news. In fact, he attended her funeral. That Sakura was the youngest daughter of the Sabaku family; a prestigious family that owned a casino chain with its oldest son, Sabaku Gaara, as the heir. He remembered attending the funeral for the unidentified girl, due to their business associations. He remembered the picture of the fourteen year old girl looking very wild and innocent.

"Ah, but didn't the family also own the Haruno fashion line? Why is your name Haruno?"

Her eyes narrow, "I am not the _only _one with the Haruno surname, Uchiha. Your family might be powerful and prestigious, but the last time I check, Haruno isn't one of the family descended from a line of kings and queens. If you haven't noticed, I hate people asking about my personal information. Now if you don't have any other inquiries, I will excuse myself."

Before Haruno could fully stand up, Sasuke snaked out his hand and grabbed her arms, "Okay. No need to be so defensive."

He ignored her snort, "If you don't want to talk about yourself, then let's talk about me."

Haruno tapped her fingers on the table in annoyance, "As much as I don't like people learning about me, I'm not interested in knowing anyone. Besides, if I wanted to know anything about you, I could look it up on the net. I'm sure your fangirls could provide all the necessary information I need."

Again, she tried to stand but he was too fast for her.

"Since you're so unfathomable and inexplicable, I want you to know what you think of Vita Winter."

He didn't expect her to stay, especially since she said she didn't like other people know her. Even so more, he didn't know why he asked her opinion on Vita Winter. Perhaps, it was because the both of them are so mystifying and shadowy. Haruno was like a person that dropped from a sky – with no background or anything – while Vita Winter was like a ghostwriter. No one had ever seen her before; even her biography was a bunch of bits and pieces of ideas strung together into another story.

"What do you know about Vita Winter?" The girl asked.

"She's the renown mysterious writer; a Best Time Seller that has never been seen. All her stories are written in the romantic department, but I think they're a bunch of fantasies and romantic garbage."

At that comment, a range of emotions flushed through Haruno's face. She was shaking with rage, then it changed to anguish, then to resent, and then like the passing of a storm, she smiled.

"Why do you act?" Surprisingly, she was calm.

Too calm was the problem.

From her reactions, he would've believed she was another die-hard Vita Winter fan, but nope, she didn't lash out at him at all.

"I get to live as another person," There were a bunch of answers he could've given her, like he gave to the reporters, but he decided to answer her truthfully.

"Don't you think Vita Winter is the same?" Haruno inquired. "She lives as another person by writing. Whether if her stories are fantasies, romantic _garbage like_ you said, or clichés strung together, they create another dimension - another reality - for the reader, and perhaps even for herself. You are starring in _Broken _aren't you? That's what her stories exist for – for you to live in another reality as another person. Now that's my opinion."

"That is debatable," he admitted begrudgingly.

"Do you know what the name Vita Winter means?" An amused smile passed through her lips as she asked him the question.

"In Latin, Vita means Life, and Winter could be referred to death—very contradictory."

"That works, but Vita could also be substituted with Vida, which has many meanings; one that means empty and hollow, like a void."

"But Vida could also mean Beloved."

Haruno shrugged her shoulders, "I wouldn't know. Only Vita-san would know. There are countless interpretations to how the name goes about. As far as my opinion goes for her, I think she's a coward, hiding behind her stories of fiction and romance. She's definitely a romantic. Perhaps, one day, she would show us who she really is. Now that I've shared my opinion, may I excuse myself?"

She stood up and tossed him a look that he couldn't decipher; something between bitterness and something else that he couldn't put his hands on. If Sasuke thought Sakura was like any other girl, he would've believed she was an ordinary girl who was very analytical, but something inside him told him that there was a more to them than she wanted him to believe. There was a concealed relationship between Haruno Sakura and Vita Winter.

Both were similar. Both were mystifying and hiding from something.

Truthfully, Sasuke wanted to know about the author so that it could help him with his acting. By analyzing the author, you can usually find the motive for characterization of the character in the book. From Haruno Sakura, Sasuke had gotten more than he bargained for – a lot more to debate and think about. However, what baffled him the most was Haruno herself. What was she hiding? She was definitely hiding something – perhaps her past. Whatever it was, Sasuke was determined to unveil it: the secret of Haruno Sakura.

Something told him that if he could unveil the secret of Haruno Sakura, he would get his answer to the mystery of Vita Winter.

After all, it took at least two to play hide and seek.

In this case, it was three.

* * *

(i). Sasuke's philosophy on acting comes from the words of Kuu from the manga, _Skip Beat_.  
(ii). Icarus' and Daeldus' names are referenced from Greek Mythology.  
(iii). Broken is an actual fanfiction story written by Inadaze22. If you guys want to know the plot of _Broken_, search it up. It's in the Harry Potter fandom. I've gotten rights from her to include it as the script in this story. However, the story only follows so much of the actual story. I suggest you read it. It's a wonderful story.  
(iv).The name Vita Winter was taken from The Thirteenth Tale. Explanation of the name goes to Diane Setterfield.  
(v). Thank you for your wonderful reviews and please continue to write them!

**+K. Tram~**

_Publication: 09.12.10  
Revision: 09.01.11_


	4. The Love that was Unreciprocated

**Disclaimer: **The existence of Hikari-chan belongs to me. Masashi Kishimoto owns the rest of the cast.

* * *

Chapter 4: The Love that was Unreciprocated

It felt nice, strolling down the streets of Tokyo with the important people in his life. If Naruto was his seventeen year old self, he would've been envisioning impracticable images of a family consisting Hikari, Sakura, and him. In a sense, they were already a family – even if they weren't related by the same DNA – but their "family" was entirely different from the kind that Naruto wanted.

"Sakura, I want ice cream!" Hikari used her most charming voice as she pointed eagerly at an ice cream stand in the park.

Sakura's emerald eyes gazed at the pointed object before looking back to the little girl. "How about another time, Hikari-chan? Jiraiya-ojii-san is taking us to lunch today."

Hikari's mouth puckered, showing that she was discontented with the reply and Naruto knew he had to step in, "Awe Sakura-chan, it's just only this once."

"Naruto!" Sakura chided, her emerald eyes pierced right at him with a dangerous aura "What did Jiraiya-ojii teach us?"

He shrugged with a lopsided grin present upon his face. "Did that geezer even teach us anything?"

The woman beside him rolled her eyes, "Well, I don't want Hikari-chan learning any bad habits and that includes eating desserts before the main meal."

While she chided him, a small smile graced her face and Naruto felt as if he had found the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. It was rare for him to see Sakura smile. He could tell that she only saw him as her best friend and he was proud to say that he was one of the very few people she would lean on when she was in desperate need, which was rarely, for Sakura was talented and very stubborn.

When he was in his teenage years he had developed a small crush on his best friend. Slowly, it developed into love, and until this very day, Naruto wasn't ashamed to admit that he still loved her. It pained him to know that Sakura only saw him as a brother figure. The countless years in which Naruto held onto his feelings for her, Sakura never reciprocated it.

"Naruto-oniisan!" Hikari whined as she put on her best puppy dog face; a face which he couldn't resist and only Sakura was immune to.

He looked over to his pink haired girl and smiled, "How about after lunch?"

If someone asked him just how much he loved Sakura, he wouldn't lie about it. Naruto knew that he would always put her before anyone else, even before his Hinata. He knew he was stupid for holding onto an unrequited love, but he just couldn't let go. However, Sakura had made it clear that she would never return his feelings. Her heart already belonged to another person, and like him, her feelings were unreciprocated.

After the incident, he knew he couldn't proclaim his love for her. Of all his fears, the one that anxious him the most was the idea of Sakura leaving his life. It had happened once and he couldn't afford to let it happen a second time.

"_Naruto, if you really love me, then do it for me," Her voice was monotone, void of any emotions. Gone was the high-pitched cute voice of a child. It sounded hoarse and broken, just like her. She didn't look like the Sakura-chan he used to know._

_Naruto clenched his hands into two fists along with his jaws. The request was outrageous and if she wasn't in such condition, he would've lashed out at her. He couldn't accept it. "I can never stop loving you. You know that, Sakura-chan." _

_She stared directly into his eyes, "What you feel for me isn't love, Naruto. Yes, I know you love me, but right now, it's just an infatuation. A long time crush. You don't love me the way I love him. One day, a woman will come barging into your life and break down the image you see of me. When that happens, I want you to give her a chance. Don't always cling onto me, because I might just leave you."_

He never believed her words. Not until she disappeared from his life for a period of six months. God knew where she went and during that time, he was vexed. In fact, he vaguely remembered losing his sanity. Depression struck him and he couldn't concentrate on his studies.

When she finally came back, Naruto didn't care whether or not his feelings would be reciprocated. All he wanted was Sakura to stay by his side. It was because of her plead that he got himself a girlfriend. It was a jerk move to date Hinata while still liking Sakura, but Naruto held no guilt for it. When the meek girl confessed to him, Naruto had told her straight out that he was in love with Sakura. The girl accepted his selfish love. Naruto knew that while he couldn't love Hinata par up to Sakura, he would try his best to grant the girl happiness.

"How about this, Hikari-chan? Your crayons are worn out. I'll buy you a new set rather than an ice cream cone."

Immediately, Hikari's charcoal eyes widened and a delighted smile emerged on her face. "Really Sakura? Pinky swear!"

Locking fingers with the little girl, Sakura grinned, "I promise."

Naruto watched Sakura's smile widened as she stared at the petite girl skipping down the road in happiness. If anyone could make Sakura happy, it was Hikari.

* * *

"Sasuke-niisan!" The little boy screeched as he ran to tackle him into a hug.

A woman stood behind the little boy smiled at the sight, "Sota-chan, I want you to be on your best behaviour while you are with Sasuke-nii. He has a lot of work, so you better not cause him any trouble."

"Hai okaa-san!" The said boy grinned cheekily at his mother and Sasuke smiled.

Before meeting Sota, the word 'family' didn't exist in his vocabulary. His father was always busy with the company, having meaningless flings with countless women while his mother attended to the meetings overseas; having flings of her own. Itachi was the only person he actually spent time with, but he would often disappear for a few days before returning home. When Sasuke asked his brother where he went, he would get a vague response. In the end, Sasuke gave up on his family altogether.

However, it changed since the day he discovered that one of his father's flings, Usui Yukina, had borne an illegitimate son.

_He found her in the rain, her body exhausted from standing in the showering cold world for a long period of time. His father had already retired to bed, refusing to see the poor woman standing outside the gates of his house. Everything was dark, and the sky was pouring and Sasuke felt guilty._

"_Are you another one of my old man's…" He trailed off at the thought that the word he was going to label her was too callous and shameful. "…flings?"_

_While the woman's brown hair was wet and her eyes were splotchy, she was attractive. He could tell she wasn't affluent by her clothes, but she had respectable taste in fashion. _

_She managed to put on a faltering smile and throw her pride away as she said, "Is it possible to meet your father?" _

"_He has retired for the night. Do you want me to pass on a message?"_

_She hesitated and the hope in her face waned, "No, it's okay. I'll try again tomorrow morning then."_

_Feeling pity for the woman, he said, "You know, even if you stay here all night, he still won't see you, right?"_

"_You know, Uchiha-san, I said I was going to cut ties with him, but I can't. I'm bound to him," At his puzzlement, she explained, "I'm not doing this for him, nor am I doing this for myself. I'm doing this for my child. At least, I want him to know that he is the father of my child. However, maybe it's better if he doesn't. That would save Sota from adversity when he grows up."_

_The woman was rambling, and he was certain that she was crying while rambling off her speech._

_"How long has it been?"_

_She paused and a forlorn smile spread across her face. "Sota is turning three this upcoming October. I'm sorry for intruding your rest, Uchiha-san. I will take my leave now."_

_He gave a silent nod. "Do you want me to drive you home?"_

"_Oh no, its fine, Uchiha-san. I can manage by myself."_

"_I insist. After all the mess that he caused, I'm sure you've gone through a lot."_

_She nodded and followed him to the garage where all the cars were kept. _

"_So you're not going to tell him." It was a statement. The woman froze and then she shook her head._

"_I'll be okay on my own." Despite her statement, he knew that it was all lies. If she was okay on her own, she wouldn't have shown up at the Uchiha compound._

_"The child needs a father," He voiced out clearly as he turned to face her._

_"But the father..." her voice cracked for the first time and tears escaped her eyelids._

_"...will reject him." he finished the sentence off and she lowered her head. Sasuke knew his father's personality. He knew that the man would not accept shame to befall the Uchiha family. Even from his faults, he would use his influential power and money to cover all sides of the story._

_"I'll visit Sota every week. I'm sorry that he won't take responsibility for what he's done. I'm sure that if you need financial aid, he will be able to help you though."_

"_No, it's fine. I just wanted him to know that he has another son alive in this world. That's all I want to do for Sota. But you're a sweetheart. Thank you for offering, Uchiha-san."_

"_Sasuke. You can call me Sasuke; and your name, Ms?"_

"_I'm Usui Yukina."_

At first, he visited her because he felt pity for the woman. It wasn't her fault that his father was an asshole and had knocked her up, but more than so, he wanted to spend time with his half-brother and be the brother that Itachi couldn't. In the beginning, Sasuke only visited once a month, but as Sota grew older his visits became frequent.

Now that Sota was turning five, the visits became a ritual. The first thing Sasuke did every Saturday morning was drop by the small condo. For the weekend, Sota would spend time with him, and it made it easier now that he moved to an apartment with Shikamaru.

"I heard you broke up with your girlfriend."

He scowled at her statement, "It's nothing, Yukina-san."

"But you liked her didn't you?"

"But she didn't like me," He answered fore fully, wishing for the subject to be dropped. Sure, the woman was one whom he trusted, but he just wasn't ready to open up and discuss their relationship with her. "She only dated me because of who I am. She didn't like the real me."

Apparently, it looked as if Yukina understood, for she brought the topic to a close "Women are hard to predict, but if you guys are meant for each other, I'm sure things will fall in place again. Are you staying for lunch?"

He nodded and a gentle smile bloomed on her face. It was rare that the male actor was able to stay for lunch, for his schedule didn't allow him much free time. However, whenever he could, she was ready to make a big feast for him.

"Make yourself comfortable while I go make lunch and I'll let you know when it's done. Sota seems to have a lot of stories to tell you."

At that, the young boy who was clinging onto him grinned and dragged him to the family room. "Sasuke-nii, did you bring the game?"

He pulled out a case that contained a game for the ps3 system and Sota cheered.

"So, how was school this week? Did you make any new friends?"

While Sota inherited his looks from both his mother and his father, he seemed to have inherited the Uchiha remote personality. Making friends for Sota was always hard for he was a boy with few words to strangers. Apparently, he didn't like useless talks, which was like Sasuke. Sasuke understood Sota's reasons for the lack of communication. There was no reason talk to pretentious people and pretending to care about things that in reality, he didn't.

At that question, Sota sulked, "No. All the other kids are idiots. The boys fight and the girls are _lovesick_."

Sasuke chuckled at Sota's answer. True, kids knew way too much in today's society. They were already declaring love to each other even though they were only five. He was already twenty, yet he was still struggling with finding out who he was and who he liked. While he was doing that, it seemed like the whole world had sped up.

"And a new girl came."

At that, Sasuke's quirked an eyebrow. It couldn't be that coincidental.

"What's her name?"

Sota gave him a bizarre look, as if he had grown another head and then shrugged. "I don't know. Uzumaki something, I think."

"Uzumaki?" The name was familiar, but he couldn't identify where he heard it before.

"Yes. Her father was an idiot – very loud and happy. He was praising her while he sent her off, said something about making him, Uzumaki Naruto, proud," He rolled his eyes as he put the disc inside the system.

Sasuke ruffled his step brother hair. He knew that that the boy was envious of the girl's father, for he grew up without a father. When Sota asked about his father, both Sasuke and Yukina said that his father had died in a car crash and the boy had accepted the answer without questions.

"Ready for another round of losing?" He smirked.

"No way, I'm gonna beat you today!"

While setting the dining table, Usui Yukina smiled as she watched the two boys duel in whatever game they were playing.

"I'm glad you didn't take after your father, Sasuke."

* * *

"Miyuki, is there a package or an envelope for me?"

"I'm sorry, ojou-sama, but I haven't received anything under your name." She nodded and then ushered the maid away. Staring up at the ceiling, she sighed.

"Wow, Temari-nee, whose gift are you waiting for? For you to ask subsequently every single day and look like this, is it that important?" A deep male voice whom she recognized to be her older brother chimed from above the stairs.

She groaned, "I'm in no mood for this, Kankuro. How about getting back to me in a couple of days?"

"I'm not that stupid, you know. For the past three years, you received a pot of plants or seeds for your birthday. It's from the ex of yours, isn't it?" Kankuro smirked as he made his way down the serpentine stairs. Teasing his oldest sibling was always his highlight of the day.

"It's not from Shikamaru," she retorted, cheeks red in anger, "In fact, there wasn't even a name on it."

Kankuro nodded his head nonchalantly, "Just watch, the person will replace the plant this year. Now, don't you have a date this year? Once you walk out the door, your ex will probably sweep you away from those men Mother is trying to set you up."

"Yeah, because Shikamaru is the prince charming type," Temari laughed dryly and rolled her eyes "That lazy ass will probably just bid me off to the omiai, like he broke up with me because it was too troublesome to date a woman from a rich family. Thinking about it, I don't even know why I liked him in the first place."

"Well, I do see Mother's side of the story. Of course she wouldn't let you date him; Shikamaru isn't the son of any large companies and he's three years younger than you." The forbidden love between the eldest daughter of the millionaire Sabakus, who owned a casino chain and a fashion line, and a genius from a standard family had made the headlines at a certain point in history. Due to the different social class, their mother had prohibited their relationship.

"So basically, you're objecting to it."

"Not really." Kankuro replied smoothly, "Personally, I don't care who you date."

"You never care about anything Kankuro, and that's where it led her life to be." Temari stated.

Immediately, the atmosphere between them tensed.

"How the hell would I know she was actually going to run away?" Kankuro growled, "She never listened to my suggestions, anyway. It was _your _fault that she planned on running away. All because of _that_ boy. If you hadn't said what you did, then she would still be here, but then knowing Mother, she'd probably kill her, herself."

Kankuro stared up, to find that his sister was trembling and tears had escaped her eyelids"I'm sorry, Temari. I was out of line."

"Don't be. You're right. It was my fault, but I still believe she's alive."

"And what makes you think that?" A new voice interrupted, causing the two to whirl around at the foundation of the voice.

"Gaara!"

"Gaara-nii!" The two siblings hissed simultaneously at the eldest son of the family who leaned against the wall.

Sabaku Gaara merely lifted an eyebrow and stared vacantly at the two. "So?"

Temari breathed, "Every year, I receive some sort of gift relating to plants for my birthday, and Sakura was the only person who gave me a pot of plants every year. Besides you two, no one else knows my fascination with plants."

Seeing that no maid nor anyone else was within sight, Kankuro said, "But she died three years ago. The body was found."

"She was a rebel back then." Temari chuckled dryly at the thought, "Do you think she will die that easily?"

"I wish she made her own decisions, rather than concurring to the other people's judgements. Ironic how the moment she chose to do things her way, is the moment where her life ends." Kankuro commented, only to receive a glare from the oldest sibling. "I wonder where her life would be now if she hadn't run away…only to be murdered and thrown into the canal, to the point where her face was scrapped to the point where it couldn't be recognized."

"But there's something wrong with the pol—," At that moment, the doorbell rang and Gaara cast them a sinister look.

"I'm leaving, but don't let Mother hear you. We all know Sakura is a taboo subject in this household." The unsociable brother muttered forebodingly before he stalked off.

A maid scrambled their way, "Ojou-sama, Nara Shikamaru requests to see you."

The atmosphere of melancholy and nostalgia was dispatched in an instant as Kankuro smirked smugly and said, "Say Sis, what did I tell you?"

* * *

"I didn't expect for you to come out."

"I didn't expect you would still remember my birthday after four years," Temari smirked as she flipped open her fan. "Your gift is lovely."

"So why did you come here?"

"Well—" Before Shikamaru could answer her question, a limousine pulled up in front of the Sabaku's house. Temari looked at the black limousine before yanking his collar and pulling him towards the garage.

"Oi! Where are we going?" The young man exclaimed.

"Leaving here, obviously." Temari unlocked one of the doors of the car and pushed him into the passenger seat. She scrambled to the other side and climbed into the driver's seat. Pulling outside the Sabaku's residence, Temari sped on the road outside the city.

"Whoa! Slow down woman or else you'll get both of us killed!" Shikamaru exclaimed, fearing for his life. The woman beside him looked as if she had lost half of her mind.

"Oh stop being troublesome." Temari snapped, using his infamous phrase without realizing as her eyes glaring ahead at the road in front of her. "I'm making for a run obviously and when we get home, I'm going to say you abducted me."

Shikamaru sighed, "You're a really troublesome woman, you know that?"

They were out in the suburbs of Tokyo when Temari decided to park her car someplace not to his knowledge and get out the car. Shikamaru followed suit as they trudged down to the edge of the lake. The lavishing green meadow gleamed against the blue sky. Pine trees, along with small mountains obscure the whole platform stood in the background.

"Why are we here anyways?" But nevertheless, he lay down on the grass and stared up at the sky.

Temari never answered his question. She stared at the blue sky before settling down next to him. "We were talking about her again."

"Your sister."

"There wasn't a plant or seeds this year." Her voice was heartbreaking, and he felt as if his heart was going to break along with hers.

"But you don't even know if she was the one who sent it. They always came anonymous after all."

"I wish I hadn't chided her that day. If Mother didn't throw out the word 'disown,' then she wouldn't leave home. She's alive. I just know. The police aren't reliable. They couldn't even identify the body since it was torn to pieces and the face was scrapped. It was traumatizing, but despite that fact, I just know that she escaped it. She matured as soon as she heard the appalling news, so she can't die that easily. She definitely didn't die. There are still too many things she needs to do. She still owes the world too much to be able to die."

Shikamaru didn't say anything, but his gaze left the sky to the woman beside him who was showing him her vulnerable side.

"You're living in denial, Temari."

He was going to tell her about the Haruno Sakura that transferred into his class. The Haruno Sakura that somewhat resembled the youngest Sabaku who died three years ago, but seeing her in this state, he couldn't. He didn't want to give the woman hope, only to backfire into despair. He knew that Temari wouldn't be able to take it. It was too much; especially since she still hadn't moved on for the past three years.

He never knew Sabaku Sakura personally, except that she was a troublemaker back in her teenage years. While the girl was charismatic and enchanting, she was also doubtful of her abilities and followed the wrong crowd. Haruno Sakura was an enigma, from what he observed during their classes together. She was quiet, and distant but also assertive. Deducting from his observing skills, Shikamaru concluded that the two couldn't be the same person. He had to be sure before he went around confronting her.

* * *

Sakura didn't know how a restaurant could possibly attract so many guests at one thirty in the afternoon.

It was past lunch hour, yet it was deafening and crowded. There were frazzled waitresses scrambling from table to table, seating people, taking orders, and delivering food. Sure, the Ichiraku Ramen Bar had renovated into a small restaurant, but it was still crowded nonetheless.

Sakura sighed, knowing it would be a while before Jiraiya actually showed up, and she wanted to chide Naruto for choosing this place. Sakura wasn't exactly a fan of ramen after the month Jiraiya took a vacation and Naruto was on duty in the kitchen. Hikari was drawing in her sketchbook with the new set of pencil crayons she had bought for her.

The young child was humming some tune she had learned from school, paying no attention to the deafening surrounding, but for Sakura, it was a different story. She was becoming agitated. She was never good with large crowds, and here she was, stuck between chatters and crying babies. It was definitely not good for her health.

"The best part of the new game is that we can control it with our minds."

Naruto was rambling about his university's assignment, which she could care less about it. She only had so much patience, and an empty stomach with Naruto's useless ramblings wasn't helping her forget her hunger.

"Hinata-chan!" Naruto's sudden shout startled her.

"Sorry Naruto-kun, it's crowded out there." The woman who arrived at their table apologized meekly. She looked frazzled and slightly out of breath.

"No worries! No worries! That old man isn't even here yet. Say hi to Hinata-chan, Hikari-chan!"

Hikari looked up and smiled, "Hi Hinata-oneechan!. Look! Hikari drew a picture of you and Naruto-oniisan!" She held up the small sketchbook with pride at her drawing.

Hinata smiled, "It's wonderful, Hikari-chan."

"I didn't think Ichiraku Ramen could get this many customers." Sakura commented as she stared at her surroundings.

Hinata shook her head. "No, I think it's because the members of Akatsuki are here."

At that comment, Sakura stiffened. Her fear only worsen when she caught sight of someone familiar coming in through the doors.

_Oh no, it can't be_. She thought in bewilderment. Just great. Her day just couldn't get any worse. The person looked up and his eyes widened for a fraction of a second.

She diverted her gaze to the side, but his familiar voice rang out through the crowd. "I didn't expect to see you here, Sakura-chan. I thought you left Japan for good. How come you never visit me after _all_ those months of hospitality?"

At the corner of her eyes, she saw Naruto's jaws dropped; he was literally gaping at the person in front of him. Hinata was stunned, while Hikari was confused, staring from one person to another, not comprehending the situation. Some of the customers had dropped their personal conversations and were trying to eavesdrop on them.

"I didn't expect to see you here either, Uchiha-san." She smiled politely.

"Now, now, why are you so polite, Sakura-chan?" An amused smile played upon his lips, making her feel unsettled. Her emerald eyes widened. She knew what was coming. Her eyes tried to send messages to him, telling him to stop. He wouldn't _dare_ saying what he was going to—

"After all, we did live together for a couple of months. Why don't you call me Itachi-kun, like you used to?"

The chatter in the restaurant suddenly stopped and all eyes were focused on them.

* * *

**Note: **This is not a filler chapter. This is a chapter that provides background information on our characters. A word of thanks to _AnimeSiren _who took her time to edit this chapter.

**+K Tram~**

_Publication: 01.09.11  
Revision: 09.06.11_


	5. The Start of Something New

**Disclaimer: **I own Usui Sai and Hikari. Peiterusa Kinetsu is Pei-chan's alter-ego. Masashi Kishimoto owns the rest.

* * *

Chapter 5: The Start of Something New 

**THE UCHIHA BROTHERS: EACH WITH HIS DUBIOUS AFFAIR  
**By: Peiterusa Kinetsu

**This week was one hectic week for the Uchiha brothers. Uchiha Sasuke was spotted visiting a lovely lady who looks a great deal older than him this Saturday. As soon as the door opened, a young little boy, who looked rather similar to the actor, ran up to him and hugged him. In Sasuke's hands were bags that resembled gifts. Could there be a hidden relationship between Uchiha Sasuke and his undisclosed wife?**

**However, don't be surprised yet, for an outrageous revelation was made by the older Uchiha, himself! Last Saturday, Uchiha Itachi and his band were spotted at the Ichiraku Ramen Bar. The infamous member of **_**CriMson Night**_** had strolled over to a booth occupied by a group of people and he seemed to have had a rather intimate conversation with a mysterious girl. In the end, it was revealed that the woman had lived with him for a period of time! Uchiha Itachi was never seen with a companion before, and here we found out that he was living with a woman. Just **_**who**_** is this girl with pink hair and emerald jade eyes?**

* * *

Usui Sota didn't like many things.

His list of dislikes definitely outweighed his list of likes and although he did not like to admit it, the latter list centered on his brother, Sasuke-nii.

Sai liked Saturdays because they marked the beginning of the weekend, meaning that his nii-chan would visit him. As opposed to Saturdays, he loathed Mondays. They marked the ending of their brotherly time and the beginning of a new week, which meant school, and Sota did not like school. He found school to be a nuisance, especially when he already understood half of the things they were doing, such as forming words, learning kanji characters, adding and taking away numbers, and coloring inside the lines.

He wasn't as smart as his brother, but at least he was ahead of the game in his class. For a six year old, that was something to be proud of. However, a new student had transferred into their class the previous week, and from what Miyako-sensei said, she was younger than all of them. To Sota, this was a rivalry.

At first glance, there wasn't even anything special about her. Sota didn't understand why a four year old was in his class. It wasn't like she was pretty enough to skip a grade. She didn't look any smarter either. She looked like the smaller version of all the girls in his class, with sunny yellow hair and dark brown eyes. Sota thought that was a bizarre combination, but compared to her sister, it seemed quite normal. When the girl peeked into his class, she was accompanied by her sister, a pretty lady with pink hair and emerald eyes. Now _that_ combination was weird.

The girl had been clutching her sister's hand tightly and looking really scared. However, the older pretty girl behind her ushered her in and whispered something into her ears. The little girl then ran hastily into the classroom and bowed down, "Hikari-desu! Onegaishimasu!" She then ran back to her sister and hugged her legs.

_Annoying!_ Sai was displeased with the girl already. He thought that because she was four years old and got to skip a grade, she would be mature, and that got his hopes up; maybe for once, he could have someone to relate to. However, she couldn't even speak in proper sentences. Miyako-sensei talked quietly to the girl before she nodded and took her hand.

While he was happy that she didn't fawn over him like the other girls, he also didn't like her. Just two days with her in the class had created serious problems. Miyako-sensei decided to assign him to be her school buddy.

School buddies were one of the many things on his dislike list. It was a weekly activity where each student had to co-operate with another _friend _in the class and get to know each other. The activity included working on projects together and Sota did not like teamwork.

Sota had tried very hard to convince Miyako-sensei that Hikari couldn't be his buddy. The best reason he could come up was girls had cooties. However, sensei didn't understand his logic and told him to be a man like Naru. Growing up and becoming a man was at the top of Sota's to-do list, so he stopped his protests and decided to deal with the situation like a real man would.

It was something that would make his nii-chan and okaa-san proud. But as soon as he agreed to it, he regretted it. The girls in the class used the opportunity to befriend him, which he greatly disliked.

"Sota-kun, have some of my crackers!"

"No! Sota-kun is going to have my cherries! Okaa-san says that eating fruits is healthy for you!"

The two girls were annoying and tried to share their snacks with him. He didn't need their food; Okaa-san had packed him enough for three people. They also had the tendency to touch his hair. Seriously, what was so special about _hair_?

Worse of all, the girl that he was supposed to befriend held no interest in him. Sota didn't mind though, because that meant he didn't have to suffer spending time with her, but Miyako-sensei had noticed.

"Sota-chan, what did I tell you?"

"But she didn't want to make friends! I tried!"

"Hikari-chan is new, so you have to try really hard to make friends with her. She is _very_ shy."

Yeah, new kids were definitely going on his list of dislikes. He thought sourly as he trudged towards the drawing area where the new girl was crouched over the desk and drawing a picture of a person.

"Who's that?" Sota asked pointedly as he looked at the picture.

Hikari looked up and stared at him, "Who are you?"

"Sota," He replied casually and sat in the seat next to hers, picking up a red crayon.

"I'm Hikari." The new girl introduced herself with a bright smile that showed off her pearly white teeth.

"I know. So who is that? Is that your father?"

"It's Naruto-oyaji!" The girl grinned as she proudly showed him her picture.

"Oyaji? So he's not your otou-san?"

"No. Hikari doesn't have a dad. Naruto-oyaji is like my father. He cares for me a lot."

"So you're drawing him?"

"Yeah, along with Sakura! Naruto-oyaji isn't talking to Sakura and Sakura is really sad."

"Is Sakura his girlfriend?"

Before she could reply, a new voice piped in, "Don't talk to her, Sota-kun! She doesn't have a father and Okaa-san says we shouldn't play with kids like that!"

It was his classmate, Marika; a girl who wore a lot of jewellery and always had her hair done up in the Princess Style. She always declared him to be her prince, which really annoyed him. He didn't even know the girl. Usually, he would ignore her, but her comment made him mad.

"Well, I don't have a father either." He glared at her, his onyx eyes full of anger. "If you can't play with kids like that, then why are you talking to me?"

Marika stared at him, clearly speechless at his declaration.

"If you don't want to draw, then go away!" Sota said crossly.

Marika walked away, quiet at the revelation. When Sota averted his attention to the former girl he saw that she was clearly hurt at Marika's comment. Her blond bangs fell down, covering her eyes and he saw her wipe at her eyes as well.

"Hikari has a father." He tried to cheer up. "Okaa-san said that in order for a kid to be born, both Otou-san and Okaa-san is needed."

"Okaa-san said that Otou-san is busy accomplishing his dream. When he accomplishes his goal, he will come back to meet Hikari!" The tears were gone, replaced with optimism. "How about you, Sota-chan? Where is your father?"

Although he was seven years old, he was much more mature for his age. He would be lying if he said he wasn't jealous. While Hikari's father was accomplishing his dream, his father never knew of him. When he was a child, he had asked his mother why every other kid had a father except him. It turned out to be a taboo subject, for his mother had a mental breakdown.

"I'm sorry, Sota." It was the sentence she kept repeating as she bent down and hugged him, apologizing to him over and over again, like a mantra. When she had calmed down, she told him that his father never knew of him. "It was better that way," she told him gently.

"I don't know. I never asked," He replied."You're lucky. You have your uncle. You also have a sister, and a mother."

"Hikari doesn't have—"

"—You're lucky because you have many people who care about you. I only have Okaa-san and Sasuke-niichan."

Hikari stared down at her drawing, and then she looked up as if she had thought of something brilliant. "Sota should visit Hikari's house! Sota will get to meet Jiraiya-oyajii, Naruto-oyaji, Sakura, Hinata-neechan, and Tenten-neechan." She smiled eagerly. "Hikari will ask if Sota-chan can come this weekend!"

"I can't. Sasuke-niichan is coming over—"

"Sasuke-niichan can come!" She exclaimed with a smile as she grabbed his arm. "Sasuke-niichan can meet Sakura-neechan. Sota-chan is Hikari's first friend."

"I didn't say I was your friend."

She dropped his arms brusquely as if his arm it burnt her.

"Oh."

The dejected look was back in her dark eyes and he stiffened, not knowing what to do. Usually, Sota was relentless with his words, but not having a female friend made him realize he had a soft spot on crying girls.

"Fine," He grumbled, "I'll come, but you better ask first."

* * *

The moment she stepped into the classroom, the chatter amongst the students came to an abrupt stop and the air tensed. It was silent, as if the room was unoccupied; the feeling of being a foreigner in a hostile environment made the pits of her stomach churn. Her classmates stared at her impassively and she knew that the damage caused by the tabloids could not be undone. They were unnaturally quiet and a trace of contempt was visible in their eyes.

"…what did Itachi see in her? To…"

"…she looked too innocent to be…"

She felt her chest tightened as a wave of whispers resounded through the classroom.

"…and he's older than her by five years. Don't they have any shame?"

Her mind was in the state of chaos.

"… she was somewhat cute."

She could embrace the degradation bestowed upon her. She didn't mind that; it wasn't like she did anything wrong besides living with a man who was two years older than her, but the fact that Naruto avoided her made her heart ache. This was why she didn't like attachments. Attachments could only cause her anguish. It never brought her any contentment. It was a reason for her detachment to people. However, from the previous events, she realized that she had depended too much on Naruto. Naruto, who was her best friend; the one who declared his everlasting love to her, the one who never gave up on her while everyone walked away, the one who stayed by her side through all the rough times, was now ignoring her. Inevitably, he had torn down the barriers surrounding her heart, and just when she finally allowed him into her life, he pulled out and left her another hole in her heart. He was supposed to trust her, damn it, not ignore her! They were best friends and best friends understood each other. He was supposed to let her explain. He was supposed to forgive her.

"Are you going to cry, new girl?" A high pitched frosty voice mocked, "Is this your way of seducing Itachi-kun?"

Someone sighed.

"I feel sorry for Sasuke. Now I understand why he hates his brother."

"What are you talking about? He knocked up a woman who is in her thirties!"

Was it going to be like the past? Was the past going to repeat itself? No it wasn't. It was her past that caused this. If she wasn't stupid when she was younger, the present wouldn't have occurred.

"No wonder they're of the same bloodline."

Did she regret her wrongdoings in the past? Of course, she did. That was why she was repenting. She was repenting for her past foolish decisions and because she was repenting, they had no right to criticize her. They had no right to judge her, especially when she didn't cause them any trouble. She had already disowned her past life. There was no use in resurrecting it. Why did they want to involve themselves in such matter? Why couldn't they just focus on their own life?

"I kind of feel sorry for the kid."

The classroom door slid open with a loud slam causing the entire classroom to go silent. Sakura looked up and jade met obsidian. His eyes narrowed before he diverted them and sauntered over to his desk.

"Oi Uchiha! I didn't think you had it in you!" A guy leered, "To think you would knock up a woman who could practically be your mother. Good thing she's hot eh? I'm incredibly _jealous_."

Immediately, the whispers dissipated, trodden by an overpowering cold, incensed aura emitted by the Uchiha.

"Maybe that's the reason why you broke up with Arisugaki Karin?"

"What the fuck do you guys know?" Sasuke stood up and growled, "You guys don't know a fucking single thing. Rather than just making stupid assumptions from the rumours you read, why don't one of you gather up the courage and ask me the fucking truth? Of course you'd rather enjoy the lie because you guys live pathetic lives, only to find humour and joy in someone else's private life. You guys just can't leave me alone, can't you? I'm a fucking human being too. "

He looked so enraged that she thought she saw his eyes flash red. It was said that Uchiha Sasuke was cool and aloof, never once lost his temper, but that rumour was perceptibly fallacious, for the man before them had the aura to kill.

Sasuke left his seat, grabbed her arm and pulled her out the classroom door, slamming it behind him.

* * *

"Naruto-kun, you're killing Reira-chan."

Hinata's timid voice penetrated his thoughts, bringing him back to the morning reality.

Naruto stared down to find his Lily of the Valley drowned in water.

"AHH! REIRA-CHAN!" He cried out in alarm as he dropped the sprayer, which fell down onto his feet, causing him great pain. "Itai!"

Hinata sweatdropped at the sight. It was just like her boyfriend to pull off a stunt like that, but she also knew he was under great stress. Naruto-kun was a simple-minded person, who was ready to accept all truths and forgive even the worst crimes. His actions and thoughts were straightforward and he did things on a whim. It was rare that Hinata saw him troubled and when he was, she knew that it was a profound matter.

"How are you?"

"What do you mean, Hinata-chan?" Naruto scratched his head as he laughed loudly, "I'm doing great as always!"

She stared at the ground, feeling the tensing atmosphere between them. "Naruto-kun is still thinking about the matter that happened last Saturday."

While it came out sounding like an accusation, she knew that he would understand her feelings. Being a Hyuuga, she was never good at delivering her feelings. They were always misunderstood, especially when she was a timorous woman who went through a series of degradation from her family. In the Hyuuga family, she was a black sheep. It was Naruto-kun who supported her during those times.

"What are you talking about, Hinata-chan?" Naruto asked with a broad grin on his face, but she wasn't his girlfriend for four years for nothing. She stared at him miserably, knowing that he was deeply affected by the affiliation between Itachi-san and Sakura-chan. Even after four years, the heart of the man who was her boyfriend did not belong to her, and she was a fool for wanting to hold onto the frayed red thread between them.

"You still love Sakura-chan."

While Hinata was timid and diffident, she was also direct and uncomplicated. Over the years, what Hinata learned was beating around the bush wouldn't ease the pain for the other. In fact, it could only cause inconveniences that were unnecessary for the future. What she hated the most was being a nuisance to other people and complicating matters. It never ended joyfully; the more time you let it wait, the worse it'd get.

"I'm sorry, Hinata-chan." Naruto rasped out quietly, his eyes clouded with shades of frustration as he stared down at the grass, guilty. "I'm sorry, Hinata-chan. I'm sorry."

She watched him in silence and swallowed at his apology— his guilt of not being able to love her. She had always known. She had always known that the only person in his heart was his childhood friend, but still, she was fool for clinging on, holding onto the belief that one day he would see her and return her feelings. Even at the beginning of their relationship, he had admitted without hesitation that he was in love with another.

"_I-I've always liked you, N-Naruto-kun. I-Is it possible to give me a chance?" It was a confession he hadn't expected. In fact, the girl, who was bowing down to the ground and handing over a letter like in the dramas he saw Sakura watch, had never even exchange a word with him once. That didn't mean that he didn't recognize her. He recognized her alright. She was Hyuuga Hinata, the pain-in-the-ass Hyuuga Neiji's cousin and a classmate of Sakura's. She was supposedly the heiress to Hyuuga Inc._

"_Don't you have a fiancé?" He asked her. While Naruto was oblivious to many of the gossips at Konoha High School, he remembered Kiba mourning over the fact that the love of his life was engaged to someone. _

_Hinata blushed a scarlet shade of red, "I-I do. T-that's why I wanted N-Naruto-kun to know my f-feelings."_

_At her confession, he smiled. It felt nice to hear a confession from someone for a change. He was so used to proclaiming his love to Sakura that he never knew the feeling of actually being confessed to. _

_He gave her one of his infamous grins and said, "I'm sorry, but I can't return your feelings because there's a girl I love. I would definitely give you a chance though…" He trailed off, "…if you weren't engaged."_

_The girl in front of him smiled sadly, "T-Thank you, N-Naruto-kun."_

"_You have a nice voice Hinata-chan, so you should show it off for the entire world to hear."_

_If possible, the girl before him flushed even a darker shade of red._

After Sasuke broke the engagement right in front of the altar, he was the one who comforted her. That was when she grabbed the opportunity and asked him out again.

"_You said that you would definitely give me a chance if I wasn't engaged. Now that Sasuke left me at the altar, can you give me a chance? It might be Kami-sama's way of giving us a second chance."_

So Naruto gave her a chance, in which she tried to prove that she was good enough, but no matter how much she tried, what she did, his heart still stayed with the same girl. Hinata knew that Sakura-chan didn't have any romantic interest in him. The girl only saw him as a brother, but in this tragic story, the brother was hopelessly in love with his sister. It was a sin—a sin against the will of God.

"I know her relationships aren't any of my business," Naruto closed his eyes and took deep breaths, "But every time I learn something new about her, my heart would hurt, as if it was breaking apart. I know she doesn't want me to love her, but I feel as if she doesn't even want me to be a part of her life."

Hinata wanted to cry. She wanted to say, "Then what about me? My heart is also breaking. I've been waiting for so many years, but Naruto-kun has never fully returned my feelings." However, like Naruto-kun, who was strong for Sakura-chan, she must also be strong for him. So instead, she took tentative steps and closed the gap between them. She embraced him from the back and caressed his back.

"It's okay, Naruto-kun," she whispered like she was his mothe, "Sakura-chan loves you, Naruto-kun. It's just that it's a different form of love. You're someone she trusts with her heart, and while she can't reciprocate your feelings, she will always love you. She didn't abandon you."

"So Naruto-kun, you've got to be strong for her. You've got to support her like you always did. Sakura-chan will tell you everything one day. When she's ready, I'm sure you're the first person she'll go to."

There was a moment of silence and Hinata felt him calming down, his frame loosening itself from the frustrations he felt. "I told you I would get over her."

She breathed, "I know."

"I'm sorry, Hinata-chan."

Every time he apologized, she felt her heart cracking. It wasn't fair. Their love was a precarious balance. The love between Hyuuga Hinata and Uzumaki Naruto was always in turmoil. She wondered just how long she could hold up their precarious relationship.

His voice was soft and controlled as he uttered the next sentence that truly broke her. "You don't deserve this."

Several moments of silence passed as she fought back the tears that threatened to fall. She couldn't let him see her like that. She knew that their relationship would collapse if she did and she wasn't really to take the blow. Not yet.

Maybe if he wasn't Uzumaki Naruto, the boy who was hopelessly in love with his childhood friend, Haruno Sakura, and maybe if she wasn't Hyuuga Hinata, the girl who was a fool for clinging onto the love that had no stability, no true devotion, and no certain future, then maybe, they could create a happily ever after in their fairy tale.

Forlornly, because he was Uzumaki Naruto, the boy who can't let go, and she was Hyuuga Hinata, the girl who never gave up, their relationship was treading on thin ice, and she wondered just how long it would take before everything fell apart.

While he promised her the almost unattainable, she also promised herself the inconsolable. She promised herself to give up on him in a period of half a year. If he couldn't let Sakura go, then she would let him go, even if she, herself, became broken.

For now, holding him was just enough.

* * *

"What are you doing?" Sakura snarled as she pulled her arm away from his grasp. "Don't create even more unnecessary rumours in your life."

The September wind pulled some of the hair from her bun, gently flirting with them as they stood at the rooftop of Midori High School. Rays of sunshine flitted in and out of the cloud and he saw the petite girl drifting from reality. A pained expression was visible upon her face, as if she was remembering something.

"We need to talk." He stated nonchalantly as he leaned backwards against the railway of the school's rooftop, his obsidian eyes never leaving her face.

"Well, as much as I'm honoured to have Uchiha Sasuke's attention, there's nothing we need to discuss." Sakura retorted sarcastically. As if he'd known her for a long time, his hands snaked out and grabbed her arms just as she was about to escape.

"Oh Haruno, I believe it's quite the contrary." He drawled, just as the warning bell rang, "We have a lot to talk about, especially your relationship with my brother."

She halted briefly before returning his gaze with a smile that seemed to scorn him, "Oh Uchiha, you are too full of yourself. What makes me think I will tell you?"

"You said you didn't know me at one of my concerts, but just to let you know, I don't sing. That's my brother's job, and you're probably one of the many whores who he played wi—"

_*SLAP*_

His eyes widened at the unexpected impact that she made across his face. He had to admit that the slap stung. It could even leave a red mark.

"I don't know what image you conjured about your brother. I don't know what he did and didn't do to you, but don't you _dare_ group me into that category or say that about your brother that in front of me!"Her eyes blazed with fury and she suddenly looked older than before. "He may be a jackass or a scoundrel to people, but to me, your brother was and is my hero."

Sasuke stared at her, stunned. Her actions and words caught him off guard. Haruno glared at him before freeing her arm from his grasp. She walked over to the fence, which defended her from falling over and stared up at the sky. The rage that she felt from before was immediately erased from her face and a small smile was placed on her face.

In a calm soothing voice, she said, "I don't care what people think about the whole scandal thing in the news, but you, out of all people, should know not to believe in it. It's always a story twisted up by the media just to bring in profit. They can make me a whore or Itachi a lecherous player who was living with a girl almost five years apart, but we all know it isn't true. While I am very angry at Itachi for disclosing our relationship, it's the truth and I can't hate him. At least not in this life."

The class bell rung, but they paid no heed to it.

Staring at her, he realized that she was definitely prettier than he credited her for. With some minor adjustments such as her hair and her outfit, he could see her being on the cover of Vogue or some other magazines that Ino once modelled for.

"I'm sorry. I should've known."

Although Sasuke was a celebrity, he had his code of conduct. Unlike other rising stars who got cocky, was rude, and believed they deserved respect from everyone around them, Sasuke knew that it was only right to apologize when he did something wrong. It was something he taught Sota after all. He smiled at the thought.

She blinked at his apology, and he almost applauded himself for stunning her for the first time. All the encounters he had with her were simply unpleasant or monotonous conversations- with him being the one to initiate it and her being irritated or infuriated. In fact, it always seemed as if she wanted to hide from him and have nothing to do with him. Maybe Itachi was the reason.

"I should've asked your side of the story."

"I'm sorry Uchiha, but I won't tell you."

He found himself irritated at her response, but he should've known. She was an enigma, and she didn't want people prying into her life.

Before he could stop himself, the sentence, "You're definitely hiding something," rolled out of his mouth.

Immediately, the air tensed and he could tell that the defensive barrier surrounding her was activated once again. "Oh kami-sama. Can't you leave my life alone? Can't you guys just leave my past behind and stop trying to pry into my life? Do you want to push me until I can't breathe before you're satisfied? Do I have to die in order to fix the past? I already know I don't deserve to continue living, so stop rubbing it in my face! I'm trying to hang on, and if it was my decision, I would've already ended my life!" She was screaming; all the bottled feelings that she was carrying were pouring out of her.

She had snapped and Sasuke was bewildered. He didn't like the situation, especially when he was quite inexperienced with crying women. "I'm sorry, Haruno. I won't ask you about it again."

Haruno looked up, taking deep breaths to calm herself down. With a vile look on her face, she said, "Are you really? From the previous conversations, it seems like you won't stop at anything until you unveil my life to the world. Is it because you pitied me now that I've finally snapped?"

Sasuke took breaths of his own. "To tell you the truth, I wanted to know what you were hiding. You and Vita Winter are similar. I thought that if I understood you, then my ability as an actor would grow. I'm sorry that my contemplations would harm your mentality."

"I'm not _weak_, Uchiha."

"I know. I'm sorry. Really, I am, but rather than using my means to find out about your past, I will wait until you tell me."

"Oh really?" She gave him a critical look. "What makes you think I will tell you?"

"I don't, but I will wait patiently."

She laughed. It was laugh between incredulity and amusement. "Well, patience won't be the key to your success. My best friend has been waiting for three years now and he still doesn't know all the details."

As soon as she said that, the expression on her face was filled with guilt and warm liquid escaped her eyelids. "Oh Sakura, when have you become this weak? When did you start depending on people, unable to live on your own?" She murmured to herself as she wiped the tears away.

"It's okay to be weak. It's okay to depend on people."

She looked up at him, surprised. "You know, Naruto and Itachi said something similar to me."

It suddenly felt awkward and Sasuke felt as if he was out of character. He wasn't normally like this. He was supposed to be the aloof type. He wasn't the type to go around striking conversations with random waitresses or grab a stranger's arm and pulled her to the rooftop with him. He wasn't the type to confess his true thoughts, yet already, this girl, who he barely knew, was already making changes in his life. She wasn't even interested in his life, yet already, she broke his life morals and daily routines.

"Well Haruno, I guess I do have to pry it from you. Something tells me that you are the key to my growth in the showbiz world. Especially for my role in _Broken_."

"You want to be the most celebrated actor, don't you?" Haruno asked, "Even though you're widely known and the fame you bring back is enough to last you a life time, you're aiming for the top, right?"

"Hn."

"Well, as much as I would love to help you, I don't think I would want to. Something tells me that my life will definitely get complicated if I'm around you. I don't want that. I'm happy with the way my life is. I already have enough news featuring me. I don't need any more spotlights on me."

"I'll protect you," Once again, he said something unnecessary.

"What are you, my self-declared knight in shining in armor?" She asked humourlessly. She paused for a brief second, as if she remembered something, and bit her lips. Sasuke noticed that Haruno bit her lips when she was unsettled and hesitant.

"I've changed my objective. I don't want to know anything in your past. Just knowing you might help me with my growth."

"You're really indecisive, aren't you?" Her jade eyes narrow perplexedly as she stared at him.

"I want to know the present you. I want to be your friend."

"What are we, in kindergarten?" Haruno asked dryly. "No."

"Why not?" Sasuke demanded, almost pouting at her response.

He saw her bit her lips again.

"Fine, you can try being my friend, but I'm making no promises. You might not even gain anything from me."

"I'll take my chances. I'm Sasuke."

He found it rather amusing when Haruno stared at the hand awkwardly as if as she did not understand the meaning of it. Slowly, she extended her own and returned the handshake.

"Sakura."

* * *

_A/N:_ I pretty much have this whole story figured out, so please be patient with me while you wait for the sporadic updates. It will be a bumpy long ride.

Please review~

**+K. Tram~**

_Publication: 02.024.11  
Revision: 10.29.11_


	6. It All Falls Apart

**Disclaimer:** I wish I own Naruto. Sadly, I don't.

* * *

Chapter 6: It All Falls Apart

Sakura leaned against the railway on the top of the roof as the wind whisked the few strands that escaped from her bun. The morning's past events kept replaying in her head.

_ "I'll protect you,"_

_ "I want to know the present you. I want to be your friend."_

It was ironic that she grew up with these words. Blurs and outlines forming images like the negatives of a filmstrip flitted through her mind.

Memories made her heart ache, tearing open the innumerable stitches on her heart. She felt the hole expanding, engulfing her soul into darkness. Sakura knew this feeling well and she knew that tangling with the younger Uchiha would be a bad decision.

The moment that he took her hand into his own, there was an overwhelming sensation that she couldn't define. It was an emotion that she lacked within her; an emotion that hadn't materialized in years. It made her heart flutter, and Sakura realized she had never felt the feeling so prevailing. Of course, there were times when the feeling would cast its shadow in her heart (like the time when she first met Hikari) but she would overlook it. This was the first time it engulfed her fully, along with fear.

It was lunch hour and below her students were chattering away, spending the last few days of summer outside under the sun before autumn settles in. Sakura found it rather relieving that none of the students spent their lunch hour on the rooftop. It had became her sanctuary; a place where she spent lunch hours by herself.

"Boo!"

Sakura hitched a breath as she whirled around, facing the intruder who dared to make her panic. "Tenten!" She cried out in alarm and put a hand on her heart, "You scared me!"

Tenten smiled brightly and held up a bento box. "Surprise!"

"What are you doing here?" Sakura demanded as her eyebrows scrunched together.

Tenten feigned a sorrowful face as she moved one hand to her heart. "Is that something to say to your best friend who got off work early just to have lunch with you? Especially right after that gibberish text you sent me? I don't even run to work when I'm late, yet I sprinted here when my best friend's in trouble."

Sakura sighed languidly, but nonetheless, a small smile graced her features. "I'm sorry, okay?"

Tenten rolled her eyes, "You better be. How come you never told me Uchiha Sasuke attended this school?" Her lips pouted as she shook her head disapprovingly.

"I guess I forgot? I was never exactly his fan." Sakura smiled a lopsided smile, which clearly conveyed her apologies. "Everything keeps happening successively. Even I can't sort out all the consecutive events that played up until now."

"No kidding. Look at the tabloid on your relationship with Itachi. What kind of friend are you, who keep secrets from her _best friend_?"

Unconsciously, Sakura stiffened at the proclamation – the taboo word which reminded her of Naruto. Tenten could deal with her elusiveness since they'd grown up together and it was in Tenten's nature to forgive easily, but for Naruto, who valued their friendship over everything, it was a different story.

"It was during that time. You remember how I used to admire Itachi-kun and how I used to hang out a lot with Sharingan and everything. When Mother disowned me, his flat was the only place that would take me in and shelter me. It was Itachi who helped me get through the first stages of that turmoil."

Tenten's warm chocolate eyes softened at the revelation.

"Although I don't know Itachi personally, I am very grateful. He's the reason why you're still alive today, aren't you, Sakura?"

The pink-haired woman nodded her head just like a child admitting to an offence he'd done.

"I am very grateful to him too. If it weren't for him, Hikari wouldn't be alive today."

"So, explain."

"Explain what?" Her eyebrows raised perplexedly at her the brunette's curt statement.

Tenten held up the handheld device that was a rather shocking shade of yellow, "Why did you send me this gibberish text? _Tenten! What am I supposed to do? Help me! I'm so confused._"

"Tenten!" Sakura whined childishly as a scowl was formed upon her face, "You know how embarrassed I get when I hear my own words being articulated. "

Tenten rolled her eyes, "You're not answering the question, Sakura." She elongated the syllables of her friend's name.

"Well, Sasuke made a proposal to me."

"UCHIHA SASUKE PROPOSED TO YOU?" Tenten's let out an abrupt and crude screech that even Sakura, who realized her mistake in the wording of the statement, couldn't reach in time to clamp her friend's mouth shut.

"Tenten!" Sakura's teeth grind together as she hissed out her name venomously, "The whole world probably heard that and they're probably launching Operation Kill Sakura now."

The other girl ignored the reprimand as she repeated the same question animatedly, "Uchiha Sasuke proposed to you?"

"Not like that!" Sakura raised both arms into the air in frustration and Tenten mentally retreated. The girl in front of her looked as if she was going to explode by the second at her inanity. "Who would propose to a stranger, much less Uchiha Sasuke?"

"You just said '_Sasuke made a proposal to me._" Tenten argued childishly.

"He made a proposal to become _friends."_ Sakura drawled out the ending word.

"So?" Tenten asked rather idly as she dug into her bento box and took a bite of her lunch, "What's the big deal?"

"You don't get it, do you?" Sakura frowned; her emerald eyes turned a rather pretty hazel green shade in the sun.

"That you might potentially get yourself a hot boyfriend? That I perfectly understand."

The frown on Sakura deepened, "Tenten! I'm being serious here!"

"You suck the life out of everything," Tenten grumbled and she shoved the bento box to her friend, "But I'm being serious now. Just loosen up and accept his friendship. It will do you good, especially since you're always cooped up in your secluded sanctuary compromised of Hikari, Naruto, Jiraiya, and me. It will help you move on and create your new life."

"It's not that," Sakura mumbled softly as she stared wistfully at the sky the seemed to stretch endlessly across the horizon. "It's just that I felt something I haven't felt in a while."

"Oh," Tenten paused at the rather unforeseen confession just made by her friend. "And what is it?"

Sakura stared down at her hand, "It was hope."

"I'm afraid I'm not getting you."

A painful expression forged its way onto Sakura's face. "Hope leads to expectations, and expectations lead to disappointment. I don't think I can handle that."

* * *

Peiterusa Kinetsu found herself fidgeting uncomfortably in the chair as she glanced from the influential person on the other side of the table to her surroundings. Just like its owner, the room and the atmosphere were outlandishly hostile. On a usual basis purple and yellow complemented each other, but as for the shades chosen in her boss's room they collided like residues of oil and water mixed together.

It was reassuringly quiet. Usually Pei did not like silence, but sitting in _the_ Anko Mitarashi's office, silence seemed to be her only comfort.

Suddenly, Anko's frigid voice cut through the pleasant silence, causing Pei to turn back to the woman she did not want to have a confrontation with. "Do you know why you're here?"

Anko Mitarashi, her boss, had an imposing aura that wrapped around her like a boa constricting wrapped around its prey. Her lips pressed grimly against each other causing Pei to gulp. If possible, the tincture of Anko's already hypnotizing dark eyes darkened even more as she stared into Pei's dark chocolate brown ones.

"I-Is it the matter c-concerning the Uchihas?" She answered, quite hesitant in her response.

"Damn right it is." Anko snarled as she threw down the newspaper and pointed treacherously to the headlines: THE UCHIHA BROTHERS; EACH WITH HIS DUBIOUS AFFAIR. "Who gave you the right to publish _this_?"

"I-I—"

"What is the motto of The Gazette, Kinetsu-san?" Anko swiftly interrupted the reply; deciding that her previous question was a rhetorical question.

"The truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth." _The motto came sprawling out mechanically like the computer's sound system. _

_"Exactly," Anko nodded acquiescently, satisfied with the answer, but Pei knew that the discussion wasn't going to end there, "So can you explain to me the truth of__ this__ article?"_

_She thrust the black and white article closer towards Kinetsu, who felt as if she was going to collapse. "W-well, Honda-san spotted Uchiha Sasuke outside a woman's house and-"_

_"So how did you know that this woman was his wife? Why did you assume that the child who __resembles __him was his son? What evidence do you hold for this affirmation?" Anko bombarded Pei with questions which seemed to be endless, ignoring the pallor of the Pei's skin which was blanching whiter by the second. _

"G-gomenesai!" Pei burst out crying as she lowered her head to show the sincerity of her words.

"Kinetsu-san, you know I don't tolerate mistakes. That was the first thing that I said when you arrived here three months ago." Anko's stated callously as she stared into her kouhai's eyes. "The journalism industry is a competitive field and your mistakes can cost us a fortune. Think of the consequences! If Star Dust decides to press charges for slander then our company might, and will, have to declare bankruptcy. Can you fully take responsibility for this?"

"I am so sorry!"

The woman in front of her seemed to whimper, but Anko displayed no empathy. Instead, she continued with her brutal lecture, "Make this your first warning, Peiterusa Kinetsu. We, The Gazette, are prideful that our information consists of the truth, only the truth, and nothing but the truth. Don't stain our reputation. I will let you go considering that I was absent during this grave lapse. Note that this will _not_ happen again. Are we clear?"

"I will not let it happen again."

"Kinetsu-san, that wasn't my question. _Are. We. Clear_?"

Pei gulped and whispered a meek 'yes'.

"Good," Anko diverted her attention to her computer screen and began typing away. "For your retribution I want you to write a repentant article, apologizing to Uchiha Sasuke and to our audience about your suppositions on his affairs. Deliver it to me when you're done so I can edit the final draft. You are dismissed."

The timid woman stood up and hastened to the exit of the room, almost pushing over the part time worker who was stumbling in with a stack of files.

"Anko, can't you be just a little temperate?" The short woman demanded with her hands on her waist as she stared dejectedly at the files which had tumbled onto the floor from the impact.

"I can't help it if they're making mistakes." Anko replied nonchalantly without sparing a glance at the woman. "You don't see me scolding you, do you?"

A sigh escaped Shizune's lips as she bent down to pick up the files. "Do you know what they call you around here? The Wicked Witch of the West."

She rolled her eyes and sneered, "How _original_. I could definitely come up with a better one."

"But my point is," Shizune immediately interjected, "If you treat them nicer, then they might try harder."

Anko scoffed at the suggestion. "I don't have time to dawdle around. If I don't scold down, no one's going to, and do you realize how competitive this industry is? The Gazette is on the verge of closing down because Orochimaru is getting tired of it. Not only will I lose my job, but so will the other hundred workers connected or affiliated to our company."

"What?" Shizune's charcoal eyes widened at the bombshell, "You never told me that!"

"Of course not. Imagine the company if they found out. He's giving us a chance though. If we are able to run the ultimate story – a story that no one knows – then that snake will continue to uphold the company."

Shizune knew that Anko cared for many things. It wasn't in Anko's nature to display these affections, but no doubt, she cared for comrades. While she was a workaholic, outside the work place Anko was an easy-going, hyperactive person.

"So how are you going to get this 'ultimate story'?"

The dictating woman held up the article that was on her desk and pointed to the picture on the front cover. Although the face could not be seen, pastel pink hair was the extraordinary attribute of the girl pictured as the renowned Uchiha Itachi leaned down towards her; their distance too intimate to be just normal acquaintances.

"Her."

"What about her?"

"I saw this girl at the younger brother's school. It's a possibility that she's related to Jiraiya, who is the director of the school board. Although I don't hold any evidence, I know that the old punk pulls strings and bends rules for a few students."

"No…" Shizune gasped in disbelief.

"How do you think Uchiha Sasuke, at the age of twenty, is able to masquerade as a high school student?"

"What? I thought he was eight—"

"He's not. The entertainment lied." Anko shrugged.

Shizune was confused. "Then why don't you run that story instead?"

Anko shook her head as she pointed to the woman who was declared as Itachi's special lover. "No. That's not the ultimate story I'm looking for. The one I'm looking for lies within _her_."

"Itachi's clandestine lover…" Shizune trailed off perplexedly, unable to understand what Anko's logic.

"Haruno Sakura." Anko licked her lips like a cat licking milk. "I saw her stepping out of that limousine with Jiraiya when I paid a visit Uchiha Sasuke. The way she carried herself, the way her aura encompassed her like shields and barriers, and the broadcasting of her relationship with Itachi – who we know, has not a single factual girlfriend – shows that she is hiding something. While the other journalists are interested in their past history, I'm going to dig much deeper."

"Oh no," Shizune groaned in disbelief. She knew Anko's diligence and perseverance. What Mitarashi Anko wants, she would take drastic measures just to get, even if it meant travelling to the ends of the earth.

"Why would you go so far for her?"

"Why?" Anko reiterated the word like it had an obvious response.

A few seconds passed by, but for Shizune, it felt like a lifetime. Anko's journalism skills had invaded the conversation, for her lingering reply fabricated a suspenseful impression, up to the point where it was disturbing.

A beautiful cruel smile emerged onto her unnaturally pale face.

"Haruno Sakura doesn't exist. Now don't you think that's interesting?"

* * *

"Sakura! Sakura! Sakura!"

Frantic footsteps echoed through the large house as Hikari came dashing into the room with wild innocent eyes that Sakura knew meant trouble. Whenever she repeated Sakura's name, Sakura just _knew_ that the six year old was going to ask for something impossible. The girl tended to have too much of a ludicrous imagination for her own good.

"Please! Please! Please! Can I bring my friend over?"

Sakura blinked.

Once.

Twice.

"Naruto-oyajii said I could, right?" Apparently, the small child did not noticed Sakura's dumbfounded expression as she continued on with her speech, catching no breath at all. "Right Oyajii?" she pranced back to the man who followed into the kitchen with a forthcoming grin on his face.

"What did I tell you, Hikari-chan?" He narrowed his eyes and thinned out his lip and threw her a stern look, "If you keep calling me Naruto-oyajii, I'm not going to let you bring over your friend."

"Hai! Hai! Naruto-niisan! Hikari promises you not to call you Oyajii anymore! Now can I please bring over Sota-kun?"

"What?" Jiraiya's voice thundered through the room. Apparently, no one had heard the keys rattling in the lock. The gangster resembling man strutted into the room with a deep frown on his face. "Hikari-chan already has a boyfriend!" He bellowed.

"Hai! Hai!" The blond haired grinned, oblivious to the implications made by the older man. "Sota-kun is my first friend!"

Jiraya grinned suggestively at the response only to have Naruto whack him on the head.

"Old Man, she's _only _four!" Naruto practically growled at him. "Get that through that thick skull of yours and stop thinking perverted things! Now leave this place and come back when you're ready to act like a proper adult." He pointed through the door that led to the deck outside the house.

"My own children have forsaken me!" Jiraiya whined hysterically while Sakura, who finally composed herself, rolled her eyes.

"You're such a drama queen, Jiraiya-oyaji."

"Sakura-chan!" Jiraiya cried, "That's not a nice thing to say to your dear uncle!"

Naruto snickered at the scene playing out in front of him.

Sakura didn't even spare him a glance, "I would take it as a compliment, you know," she stated somewhat rather monotonously making it sound rather phony.

"Stop being so cold to me," Jiraiya pouted, "I just suggested something rather distorted for Hikari and Sakura-chan goes and gives me a cold shoulder while Naruto-chan rebukes me! Did you two forget I was the one who raised you guys?" He squatted down and pulled the youngest girl in a warm embrace. "Oh Hikari-chan, only you will understand and love your Jiraiya-oyaji! Sakura-chan and Naruto-chan are too cold to care about me! They can only criticize my actions! What did I do to deserve this? You must make sure never to grow up like them, okay? "

The older children rolled their eyes while Hikari looked up, rather bewildered at the scene that had played out for her.

"Umm, can Sota-kun come over?"

"Hikari-chan," Jiraiya coughed before straightening himself up and looking serious and stern, "You can't have Sota-chan over."

"What?" Hikari exclaimed feverishly, "But I told Sota-kun he could come over this weekend!"

"Aren't you afraid?" Jiraiya cocked an eyebrow at her. At that moment he was looking very grave, "Boys have cooties and you should be afraid of them. You can catch them, and if you do, you will never grow up to be pretty."

Hikari's eyes widened like saucers as she processed the information. Naruto, who was taking a sip of water and was reading the daily news rolled up the thick gray sheets of paper and whacked Jiraiya in the head, "Stop teaching her stupid things!"

Sighing at the childish play, Sakura bent down and took charge in answering Hikari's question. She took Hikari into her arms and stroked her hair, saying, "You can have Sota-kun over this Saturday. I'll give you a piece of paper for you to give to him so that his mother can call me, okay?"

Jiraiya looked rather livid at the Sakura's agreement to the request. "Sakura-chan! Aren't you afraid that this Sota-kun will steal her away from you like a knight in shining armour?" He put both hands on his hips with a scowl on his face, which looked rather comical with the suit he was wearing.

"How about that thing called 'cooties'?" Hikari looked worried. Although she hadn't understood a thing that her uncle declared frenziedly, she had caught on to the thing about losing her beauty. Hikari did not want to become ugly. She dreamed of being a princess in those bedtime fairy tales Sakura, Naruto-nii, Tenten-nee, Jiraiya-oyaji and sometimes Hinata-nee told her. It was her dream to become a beautiful princess when she grew up.

Sakura threw the old man a wry look before smiling gently at the small infant, "Don't worry! Jiraiya-oyaji was joking, wasn't he?" She threw the man in question a dark look. "There are no such things as cooties."

Hikari nodded, but the look on her face didn't look reassured at all.

"Hikari-chan, I've been friends with Naruto all my life. In fact, I met him when I was seven. Do I look ugly to you?" Sakura asked pointedly.

"No, Sakura is really pretty!"

Naruto ruffled her blond hair while proclaiming, "Sakura-chan has always been really pretty!"

"See? There are no such things as cooties. Now go change and we'll eat dinner."

"Hai!" Hikari smiled brightly like rainbows and cotton candies and she rushed out of the kitchen, only to skip back in and pull her uncle to his feet. "Jiraiya-oyaji, you're such a liar! But there is something I want to show you!"

Jiraiya, who was squatting on the floor and pouting, followed the girl joyously and declared boisterously, "Hikari-chan is the only one who cares about me."

"Well Sakura-chan, do you need my help? " Naruto flashed a grin and Sakura stiffened. "Because you know—"

"Naruto, we need to talk," she interrupted him "About the other day…"

She peered up at him from the corner of her eyes, but his expression was indecipherable. Azure eyes like deep blue whirlpools hardened into ice and his lips thinned out from his usual boyish grin. In fact, Naruto looked so serious that it scared her. The number of times she had seen this expression could be counted with her fingers, and when he wore it it meant that he was in his staid mood that was fit enough to murder someone.

However, she knew he didn't want to kill her. While his eyes were hardened, she could detect a hint of betrayal in his eyes. She bit her bottom lips at that. Betrayal, she had betrayed him in some sense, but—

_My life is my own and no one else's._

And she decided she wasn't going to apologize to him. She was supposed to live for herself. The image of Haruno Sakura was created so that she could live as a new person. There wasn't any use going around apologizing when secrets from the past were meant to be buried. It wasn't like she did anything wrong besides running away without telling him.

_But he's your best friend_.

She bit her lips again. It was habit she had developed when she was under stress, nervous, or facing a difficult decision. Did she want to tell Naruto? Naruto had always been there for her.

_I owe him that much_. _He deserves to know._

And he really did, she realized, because while Itachi was her hero, Naruto was par up to that level – maybe even more. He was like her guardian angel. Both risked their futures and pulled the strings to help her take on a new identity to recreate her life. She had never been fair to Naruto, simply because she depended too much on him. She knew that even with all the mistakes she caused, he would always be there to catch her.

"Are you finally going to let me into your life, Sakura-chan?" He was eerily calm, which was something she wasn't used to. "Or are you going to leave things hanging _again_?"

"I—"

"I thought I was important in Sakura-chan's life. I thought that even though Sakura-chan didn't reciprocate my love, at least I still held importance in her heart, but who would've thought," he paused, "That Sakura-chan would run to another man, who happens to be _Uchiha Itachi?" _Naruto spat at the name as if it was poison to the veins.

"It's not like that—"

"Why can't Sakura-chan accept me? Why is it _everyone_ else except me?"

"You don't—"

"Of course I don't understand anything. I _never_ understand anything and I'm unreliable. Of course you wouldn't choose—"

"Naruto!" Sakura slammed her hand down on the countertop, jade green eyes blazing with fury. "Would you just listen for once?"

The atmosphere darkened and she could feel her eyes stinging with tears. She was so angry that she wanted to cry. The confrontation wasn't supposed to be like this. Naruto was supposed to be the understanding one. He was supposed to be his joyous, happy-go-lucky self and listen to her apologize. He was supposed to listen and understand. He was supposed to—

"You are so selfish, Sakura!" His voice was low and furious. She flinched at the timbre of his voice and the omission of the 'chan' did not go unnoticed. It was so un-Naruto-like. What happened to the friend that was always with her, the friend who always comforted her?

"I've always listened to you. I've always supported you and did my best to stay by your side, but what did I get in return? Nothing! Not a damn fucking thing! You ran off during that time when you were the most vulnerable. You never considered Tenten or me. You only thought of yourself and even with _her_, you still seduced that stupid, ignorant jack—"

_Slap!_

His eyes widened at the impact on his cheek. It was hard enough to leave a red mark.

Sakura hissed low and dangerously, "Don't you say what I'm think you're going to say, Naruto. Don't you dare! You and Uchiha Sasuke are the same, and like I told him this morning, Itachi was and is my hero. I don't give a damn about what people think of me, but I do care what they think of him."

"Why? You never thought of much about anyone around you, before. So why start now?" He laughed disdainfully. "When did Haruno Sakura start caring about the world?"

She threw her hands up into the air and nearly shrieked in frustration. "When did_ I_ start caring about the world? I've always cared! I've always cared about every little single damn thing. Maybe if I didn't – maybe if I _hadn't_ – then the outcome of today wouldn't have happened. I wouldn't need to be _dead_. I wouldn't have to carve a new beginning for me. She wouldn't be half alive right now, floating in limbo! He wouldn't hate my guts! The whole world wouldn't be out there to get me! Oh, Uzumaki Naruto, when did you become so insensitive?" By the end, she was so furious that her insides felt like a boiling pot of water. Rage and pain bubbled from the heat of fury, battling against her spirit that was trying to fight against the pressure in her chest. She could hardly breathe.

Naruto glared at her and pointed to the left side of his chest with his thumb. "This is where it hurts the most. It hurt five years ago, and it still hurts now. My heart feels as if the weight of the universe has crashed down onto me and refused to move. Everything hurts, Sakura."

"No you're not," Sakura said stoically, "We've been through this before, Naruto. I can't see you that way and I know that I will never be able to. You have Hinata-chan now, so hold on to her and let me go! Why don't you be an adult about this and think about the woman you said you love _this_ much!" She imitated the blond boy the previous days before when he spread out his arms to exaggerate the extent of his love for his girlfriend.

"What right do you have to tell me to be an adult when you still act like this is five years ago?"

"I've been trying!" She snapped back feverishly, "I've been trying to be mature! Trying to grow up! Trying to be independent and be someone this family can rely on, but I can only try! I'm not done growing up! I'm still depending on people even though there are people relying on me! When I left that time, it wasn't like I wanted to! I had to leave! You know that too. She would use that to get her way, and I didn't want the family's name to be stained. I didn't want them to be caught in my... mistakes." The tears that stung her eyes had escaped her pale lids and were trailing down her cheeks.

Naruto's contorted face, full of rage and devastation loosened at the sight, but Sakura cut in sharply, "Don't give me that look, Naruto. I don't need your pity! The last thing I need is your pity."

She inhaled a sharp breath to fight back the tears and calm herself. "So what if my life is so fucking messed up? It doesn't matter, because I don't regret being where I am, now. Of course, there are many things I regret from the past, but if God was to give me a second chance, I will _not_ take it. I originally wanted to explain the whole situation about Itachi. I wanted to confide you in it, because I wanted you to know that you matter. Of course, I meant what I said back then. Don't cling onto me, Naruto. I will never return your love, and I won't hesitate to leave you again."

"Then what about Itachi? Do you hold special feelings to him? "

"What I feel about Itachi has nothing to do with you, Naruto."

"It does too!" Naruto interrupted harshly. "You left me for him! You ran away to him! Why is Itachi so special to you?"

"I told you," She snapped back, "I did what I had to!"

"No, you didn't! You could've come running to me or Tenten, but you decided to play hide and seek and left us, only to come back four months later! You didn't need him! Was it because he was handsome and good looking that you chased after him? Tenten and I were looking out for you, but you repaid us by running off to some rock singer."

"Don't talk about Itachi that way!"

"Then tell me why I have to respect him, because with the way he's now, I don't respect him at all. He has done nothing to earn the respect of Uzumaki Naruto!"

"You wouldn't know!"

"You tell me then!"

"Itachi stopped me from trying to kill myself!"

He was lost for words and once again, Naruto could only watch Sakura's retreating figure disappearing out the door as the door slammed behind her.

* * *

For Kurenai Yuuhi, there wasn't a patient as difficult as the one in front of her. She, herself, was known to be one of the top therapists in Tokyo, counselling various patients, from mental breakdowns to cognitive disabilities to depressive disorders to relationship problems. However, Sakura always left her with something to ponder about. Just when the therapist thought she finally understands the patient, the girl would say something and lose her all over again. It was like an endless cycle of hide-and-seek.

_At least you managed to get her relaxed and opened up. _Yes, she must congratulate herself for achieving such feat. It had been four years since Kurenai counselled the girl. When the pink haired girl first attended her sessions she was stubborn and refused to answer any of her questions. In fact, Kurenai had lost her temper and told her to take a leave many times. It was ridiculous, because while the girl never failed to miss a single session, she never cooperated either.

_"Tell me Sakura-san, are you making the effort?"_

_Haruno stared back at her, jade eyes void of any emotions. Fifty-five minutes had passed in the room and though Kurenai had decorated her room to make the patients (and herself) comfortable, she was feeling restless at the lack of progress in their therapy session. _

_"I came here, did I not?" The answer was bitingly sarcastic._

_She could tell that Sakura was blaming her for her waste of time and lack of treatment. Honestly, she was trying, but the patient didn't seem to want help. This was the fourth week of therapy sessions, but the awkwardness between them hadn't faded at all._

_"But you're not making an effort in our sessions. You made no attempt of talking. I let you sit here so that you could tell me your story when you're ready, but you refuse to answer any of my questions. If you're not making an effort to answer my questions, then tell me how you expect my help."_

_Her green eyes narrowed before she let out a snarl, "Maybe I don't want your help." _

_"You came here by your own will, did you not? If you don't want my help, you would've not come here."_

_"Itachi-kun made me come. It was against my will."_

_It was Itachi who had called her up and explained the situation of the girl. He had asked her the favour of accepting Sakura as her new patient, explaining the details and arranging the transaction. At that time, if Kurenai didn't know any better, she would've thought Itachi was dating the girl._

_"He dropped you off in front of this building. If you didn't want to come here, you didn't have to drag yourself up to the ninth floor. Tell me the truth, Sakura-san. What do you want from being here?"_

_Expectantly, all she received was silence, which lingered in the atmosphere of the brightly-lit room once again. Kurenai started counting._

_…one hundred and fifteen. One hundred and sixteen. One hundred and sevent—_

_"I want a reason to live."_

_Kurenai was stumped. Of course, there were patients who came in demanding help to live, but this girl wanted a reason to live. Was Sakura's situation really that bad? Was her soul broken to the point where she had no desire to live? They say that the eyes were like mirrors that reflected the inner soul, but when Kurenai peered through the depths of her eyes, she couldn't find anything besides grief. What had the girl done to deserve this much sorrow? She glanced up at the clock. Their session was over and Kurenai inwardly cursed. The girl was finally starting to talk, only to have her session be done and over with it._

_Be damned with._ _She would willingly skip lunch if Sakura was willing to finally talk. It wasn't like she had anything better to do besides a lunch date—_

_"Our time is up." Sakura announced softly as she got up from the couch and grabbed her bag, attempting a hasty getaway. _

"_I'll see you next week, same time." _

_The doors shut._

_Although Sakura made no acknowledgment to her reminder, Kurenai knew she would show up. What she was anxious was the fact if the girl was willing to open up again._

"How are you doing these days, Sakura?"

Kurenai wasn't sure what she expected when she saw the girl turn up. Of course, she had read the tabloids on the girl and she knew instinctively that it would bring trouble. It was kind of ironic that it would take four years for the scandal to break out, but really, she was glad it happened now. The girl had grown mentally stronger in the last few years. If it was the younger version of her, Sakura wouldn't have been able to embrace the brewing storm. Perhaps now, but definitely not four years ago.

"Great as always, Yuuhi-san. Life is filled with sunshine and cotton candies." A smile bloomed on the therapist's face. Though four years had passed, Sakura was still the sarcastic. It was good to know that some things didn't change.

"I read the newspaper. Nice photo you have there."

"Are you mocking me?" Sakura asked dryly, displeased at her therapist's light attempt of a joke.

"Relax," Kurenai pulled open her cabinet folder and rummage through the gazillion folders sorted out in alphabetical order. Sakura. Haruno Sakura. Why couldn't she find the folder? Oh right. It wasn't in the H section. "I'm glad you still hold some trust for me. It was a lot more than I expected."

The woman grabbed the patient's folder and spun the chair around to face Sakura with an inexplicable expression on her face. The hands folded in her lap clenched themselves together along with her jaws. Kurenai inwardly smacked herself. Obviously, Sakura was still sensitive on the subject and the five letter word.

Trust.

Such a simple word, yet it held such a powerful meaning. What Kurenai came to know over the sessions was that Sakura loathed the word. It wasn't the word itself, but more Sakura's relationship with of the word. She glanced down at her notes.

_Trust=Betrayal._

While Sakura had come a long way, Kurenai knew that they still needed many sessions. She wondered often if Sakura could ever recover from her past. The sin that the girl committed had trapped her in an abyss, surrounded with grief, self-loathe, and darkness. It was a good thing that Sakura had many people supporting her and helping her tread down the road of life, though Kurenai could tell the girl still refused to forgive herself. If Sakura wasn't able to look past her misdeeds, she would not be ready to survive on her own.

"All small talk aside, let's begin our session." Kurenai announced; her voice suddenly cool and detached. She materialized the copy of Three Gazette which featured the rather scandalizing news between Japan's legendary Uchiha Itachi and the girl present in her office.

"How do you feel about this article?"

She quickly made a note of the article on Sakura's file while waiting for the younger girl's response. The hands folded into Sakura's laps tightened as her eyes shifted around the room.

Finally, the girl took a deep breath and replied, "I'm nervous. I'm really nervous. That article is a vile and ominous sign. The world I've created will crumble soon." It sounded like a those eccentric predictions made by a seer.

Kurenai wanted to comfort her and reassure her that the world she'd built the past four years wouldn't crumble just like that, but judging from the last sentence of the article, the reporters would probably not leave the poor girl alone.

"Are you ready to face it?"

"Am I ready?" Sakura gave her a wry smile."I can never be ready to face it. When it comes, the blow never fails to leave a wound in me."

"What happened?"

"What do you mean?" Sakura pretended to be innocent, but she was oblivious to the teardrops that she had subconsciously shed. Kurenai watched as Sakura put her hands to her cheeks, wiping away the tears.

"It's only you and me here. No one else. Nothing will leave this room." Kurenai reassured her.

"The article demoralized Itachi-san…"

"…and?" Kurenai probed, aware of the hesitation in Sakura's voice.

"And a quarrel with Naruto." At the mention of the name, Sakura completely broke down. The tears were falling freely onto her face, representing the agony that she had bottled up inside.

"I'm sorry," Kurenai knew a bit of their history. She had managed to acquire some information on Sakura's best friend through the journal she assigned the girl far back at the beginning. She knew that Naruto was deeply in love with Sakura and while the girl could not let him go, she wouldn't accept him any more than a brother. Kurenai could imagine how ballistic the blond reacted towards the news. After all, jealousy was a sin, itself.

Sakura's hand clenched into fists and she didn't bother wiping away the tears again. "He still won't move on even though he has a wonderful girlfriend who loves him for the world. Although Hinata doesn't say anything, I can see that she's being hurt by his lingering feelings! Naruto is being blinded by my relationship with Itachi and the quarrel… the quarrel… I think I've lost my best friend."

"Naruto's supposed to understand me. Naruto's supposed to be my best friend in the whole entire world. Naruto's supposed… I don't know what's happening anymore, Yuuhi-san." Sakura's eyes turned to look around the room again, but Kurenai did not miss the haunted expression that reflected of a man surrendering to Death's hand.

"Sakura, look at me." The therapist ordered sharply. Although Kurenai knew she appeared to be composed, she could hear the pounding of her heartbeat, almost ready to leap out of her.

"You've come so far, Sakura. You can't give up now. You cannot take the easy way out again, and this time, you have people who are waiting for you – who _need _you. You cannot run away again." Because Sakura was in therapy, Kurenai knew that the girl could do something drastic and cause another catastrophe. She needed Sakura to come back to her present state, the state that she had worked so hard to create.

Slowly, Sakura turned to look at Kurenai, the expression of resigning to death slowly faded away.

"Sometimes, it's so much easier to run away," Her voice was hallow and she looked so miserable.

"It is," Kurenai nodded in agreement, "But running away won't solve the problem forever. It won't give you the end you need."

"You have to forgive yourself," Kurenai stated firmly "You may not know how to forgive yourself. You may not know how to forgive yourself, but it's only through forgiveness will you be able to heal yourself, Sakura."

A regretful smile cracked through her face as she stared down at her hands. "But sometimes, forgiveness just isn't enough."

* * *

_A/N:_ Happy Halloween and please review! The last sentence of Kurenai's is taken from Louise Hay. Since I took forever to update, I hope the length of this chapter made up for it.

**+K. Tram~**

_Publication: 10.29.11_


	7. Redemption in Rain

**Disclaimer:** All the standards applied. I don't own any of the recognizable Naruto characters.

* * *

Chapter 7: Redemption in Rain

_Pitter-patter. Pitter-patter._

_It was only a light rain, but the sky was ominous smoky grey like fiery ashes. Around her, pedestrians were running to take cover, but Sakura made no attempt to follow them. There was no need, for the rain soothed her like the smell of coffee. She knew that if she stayed out any longer, she would catch a cold and in her current state, it wasn't healthy. _

_Green jaded eyes gazed at her surroundings, watching luminous signs flashed before her. The night city lights seemed alien to her. _

_Had the city always been this big? _

_Even though she frequented Tokyo at night many times, everything suddenly seemed so strange to her. She was starting to notice details she had missed on a regular basis; what she was witnessing seemed like an epiphany and it overwhelmed her._

"_What's a sweet girl like you doing in the pouring rain?"_

_A man with dark charcoal eyes wearing a ragged grey jacket stumbled his way towards her and put his two hands on her shoulders. Sakura trembled in fear. Tokyo had never been such a scary place in her life, but then again, it was also her first time out alone. Alone. The word sounded foreign in her head. She was now alone. Without family. Without friends. Without anyone to lean on. The man reeked of beer and Sakura felt sick from the overwhelming stench. Staring numbly at him, Sakura wondered if she was going to be killed. Perhaps it wouldn't be such a bad ending._

"_Oh sweetie," the man whispered slyly, "Didn't your mommy tell you it was dangerous to walk around at night alone? Especially for such a pretty girl like you." He moved his right hand and caressed her cheeks. His grin was lecherous, but Sakura couldn't register much. She felt numb._

"_Why don't you come with me? I promise I'm going to give you a very good time."_

_Seeing that she wasn't going to resist, the man started pulling her hand, only to have a hand snaked out and stopped him. "Leave her alone!" A high timbre penetrated the pitter-patter of the rain._

_Both Sakura and the man turn to find a girl in a bartender uniform with frightened amber eyes._

"_Why kitten, what are you doing here? Want to join in on the fun?" The man leered at the girl. _

"_L-let her go." _

_The man suddenly groaned in pain and his grip on Sakura's wrist loosened. The other girl had grabbed the man's wrist and applied pressure on it. However, the drunken man was stronger than the girl, for he broke free and seized the girl by her throat. _

"_You bitch!"_

_Sakura snapped back into reality as her mind started registering the panorama in front of her. The girl, thrown against the wall, was kicking furiously as she glared at the man. _

"_I was going to play with my other kitten first, but you seemed to have changed my mind." The man leered. _

_Sakura knew she had to act. She was not going to let anyone lose her innocence. Her hands clenched into tight fists and her teeth gritted in fury."Let go of her, you asshole!" With those final words, she delivered a punch towards the man. _

_The man fell to the ground._

"_Wow…" The girl, who was previously ensnared, gasped while breathing heavily, "I-I thought I was going to be raped tonight. Yahiko would've killed me for butting into someone else's business again."_

"_Maybe you should've minded your own business." Sakura snapped irritably at her as she started walking away._

"_If you could've punched like that, then why didn't you do so sooner? It would've saved us a lot of trouble."_

_Sakura whirled around and glared at the girl who was obviously younger than her. "Maybe I didn't want to."_

_Completely unfazed and unoffended at Sakura's rude behavior, the girl started walking alongside her."Seeing that you're alone and looking somewhat lost, why don't you come with me?" The girl chirped. "Oh, I'm Konan by the way! Pleased to meet you." _

_Sakura momentarily stared at Konan, taken by surprise at her chirpiness. For god's sake, she was just about to be raped a few minutes ago. If Sakura knew the child was going to be this bothersome, she would've left her to die there._

"_That's not nice you know." _

_Konan was eccentric on all levels. Her hair was an exotic shade of blue, close to the shade of periwinkle. Not only that, she adorned it with a blue paper flower that was a paler blue. Sakura wouldn't call her pretty, but she was definitely cute like a child. Judging from her facial expression and sociability, Sakura could tell that Konan's innocence had not been broken yet. _

"_Oh my! Where are my manners? You're dripping wet and here I am, engaging you in a silly get-to-know-each-other conversation. You should come to Akatsuki to dry yourself."_

"_No thanks. You'd do me a huge favour by leaving me alone." Sakura gazed at Konan firmly before continuing down her path of no destination._

_Apparently, the word 'retreat' was not in Konan's vocabulary for she grabbed Sakura's arm, dragging her into the shadows of the street and down a flight of stairs to a grey metal door. The surrounding brick walls were vandalized with spray paint. A tattered sign which read, Akatsuki Club, hung haphazardly above the door. It looked as if it was going to fall to the ground any given moment. If Sakura hadn't heard music coming from behind the door, she would've doubt the club's legitimacy._

_The sight behind the door blew her off her mind. _

"_I know right?" Konan grinned as she pulled her to the back of the club where the bar was located. She then shoved Sakura down onto a high seat. "We might not be well-known in Tokyo, but those who know us will never abandon this place. It's kind of a secret hideout."Now be right back. I'm going to the back to get you a towel. If any strange men come up to you, just ignore them. Plus you're in for a real treat tonight; they should be performing soon."_

"_I don't even want to be here." Sakura glared at Konan, who chuckled airily and bounced to the backroom. _

_Neon lights swirled in the dark to the punching beats of the song. The amount of people in the club was alarming and Sakura could feel the moist sweat in the air from the swaying bodies. She cringed in disgust at the sight of couples kissing and making out in corners. She needed to get out of here. Jumping off the seat, she made her way through the swaying bodies, only to stop at the sudden drop in music. Excited murmurs spread through the sea of people._

_Four silhouettes stood in the dark of the stage. Immediately, excited screams erupted through the disco club as a guitar solo ripped through the room. The moment the other instruments and the vocal joined in, the lights above the stage lit up vibrantly, revealing the band._

_Sakura stared hard; her jaded eyes never leaving the lead guitarist, who was the main vocal. _

"_Told you!" Konan's familiar voice rang out through the deafening disco once the band was finished. She hadn't realized that she had been standing there listening. It was as if the dimensions of time had halted to a stop. A towel was thrown in her face, in which Sakura caught it easily with her reflexes. _

"_The guests double when CriMson Night plays and half of the spectators are women-mainly for Itachi-sama though. Are you one of them?" Konan asked with mischief in her eyes. "Because I saw _that_ look in your eyes."_

"_What are you talking about?" Sakura's eyebrows furrowed in displeasure._

"_I don't know," Konan singsong, "It was a mix of emotions, as if you know him. I can't say you lust for him but—"_

"_I'm leaving." It was a definite resolution as Sakura handed Konan back the towel and made haste towards the doors._

"_But you're still wet!"_

"_It's fine," Sakura said stoically, "Really. Thank you for your hospitality."_

"_But—"_

"_What's going on, Konan?" A deep timbre voice interrupted the pair. Sakura turned to find a man with features that reminded her of Naruto. His hair was spiky orang reather than vibrant blond, but he had the same shade of clear blue in his eyes._

"_Yahiko-kun, this girl was wet from the rain, so I thought she should have a change of clothing before she leaves." Sakura saw the emotions in Konan's eyes as she talked to Yahiko. She could tell that the girl held special feelings for the guy in front of her._

"_What are you doing here, Sakura?" A deep, powerful voice rumbled through the club and a tall figure strolled over to them. Sakura winced at the familiar voice. She didn't want to see him. Not right now. _

"_That's_ Sakura!?" _Konan's mouth dropped as she pointed her index finger accusingly at Sakura. "The Sakura who is likely to be the only girl close to Itachi-sama?" _

"_So we finally get to meet the hime-sama." Yahiko grinned mischievously. _

_Itachi must've sensed Sakura's distress, for he grabbed her wrist and pulled her back out into the cold, dark rain._

"_Your mother called our family. They're looking for you and she sounded worried."_

_Sakura spat and her green eyes darkened, "She doesn't care if I'm alive." The words were bitter and acrimonious._

"_You obviously don't have a place to go to, Sakura."_

"_I- I just want to disappear…" Tears began to fall as they mixed in with the frigid rain, "I don't want to be here anymore."_

_He stared at her from top to bottom, his eyes remained impassive, but she could tell he was putting the pieces together. Then he said, "How long?"_

_His eyes were forceful and she knew he wanted a clear-cut answer. "I don't know, but it doesn't really matter. I just want everything to go away." _

_There was silence, but then he said, "Why don't you stay with me, then?" _

_It was far from a romantic proposal, just a suggestion from a merely concerned friend. Sakura knew that Itachi looked at her like an imoutou, a sister who idolized him, and surprisingly, it didn't hurt as much as before._

"_No thanks," She gave him smile and started to leave, only to have his hand snaked out and grabbed her. _

"_I know you're going to do something stupid." Not even giving her a chance to protest, he dragged her back into the club. _

"_She's going to stay with us." The proclamation was irrevocable and definitive, not allowing for any objections. _

_Deidara, a blond who was sitting on the sofa of the backroom choked on his beer. "What? But Itachi! I don't want her here!"_

_Yahiko snickered, "Green doesn't look good on you, Deidara."_

"_Shut up, you—"_

"_She won't interfere with anything, Deidara." Itachi walked up to the young man and whispered something into his ears. Deidara turned around and looked at Sakura with suspicious eyes._

"_Fine, but she's rooming with Konan." He snarled begrudgingly, but the edges of his tone were no longer harsh as before._

"_Yay! A new roommate!" Konan grinned cheerfully as she bounced her way to the other girl and gave Sakura a bear hug, "Welcome to the family of the Akatsuki, Sakura-chan!"_

It was times like these when Sakura is haunted by memories of the past. They didn't exactly bring her nightmares. In fact, they were memories of the happier times. It wasn't that the present brought her misery, but now that she was finally socializing herself with the world, it brought many insecurities and obscurities.

She smiled wistfully at the greyness in the sky. Maybe she ought to visit Akatsuki again. Since they were back in town, it was the most likely the place they were staying at. The business might've stopped awhile ago, but Sakura knew the group wouldn't abandon that place. After all, it was their home. While at that, she could lash out at Itachi for creating a scene at the restaurant. Of course, knowing the man, he would give her a smartass reply, leaving her flabbergasted and irritated. It wouldn't exactly be healthy, but it would be a nice change from the tension between Naruto and her. Although she trusted Kurenai like a mother (second to Tsunade), there were things talking couldn't solve.

"You're going to get sick walking in the rain." The sudden deep voice pulled her out of the thoughts and she glanced to the side to find Sasuke in his grey Lancer Evo.

Sakura returned the comment with a humored smiled, "I like the rain, Uchiha." And it was true. She loved the rain. She felt like it cleansed the world from all the sins that had been committed. It was like God's sign of salvation; the aftermath of a storm is sunlight and hope. It was a sign that she will eventually be forgiven, a bit more each time.

That's what Itachi-kun liked to tell her, wasn't it?

"Stop being stubborn and get inside."

Of course, trust Uchiha Sasuke to demand and not ask. Sakura wondered if she ever owed him anything in her past life. One brother was her hero while the other was her constant nightmare.

"I'm not being stubborn. I just want to enjoy the rain since it rarely rains in Tokyo. Besides, my mother told me not to talk to strangers."

There was a moment of silence, which piqued Sakura's curiosity, so she turned to the metallic grey car. Sasuke's face had a mixture of emotions; he looked like he didn't know whether to laugh or scowl at her statement.

"What?" Her eyes narrowed dangerously.

"What are we, in kindergarten?" There was a smirk upon his face, as if he was challenging her. "I thought that at your age, you can tell the difference between good and bad."

"I would have to say you're in the latter."

He lifted his eyebrow, "And how?"

"Hmm…I really don't know," Sakura said sarcastically as she brought her hand to her chin in a thoughtful position, "Maybe it's the fact that you randomly waltzed up to a stranger and asked her to have coffee with you, or the fact that you're demanding me to get into your car. If I didn't know any better, I'd thought you were stalking me."

"You know, there are plenty of girls who would love to be in your position right now."

"Yes, of course. It's Uchiha _Sasuke_ we're talking about here."

"Get in the car, Sakura."

"Oh so now, we're on first name's basis. Are you like this to everyone?"

"No I'm not." His answer made her lose her train of thoughts.

"What?"

"I don't act like this to anyone." The driver's door opened and Sasuke got out of the car. He opened the passenger seat and literally shoved her into the car.

"You know, I can pretty much sue you for kidnapping me, Sasuke." Sakura grumbled as she folded her arms angrily across her chest.

"I don't see you resisting." He smirked as he got into the car.

She rolled her eyes.

There was no fighting someone whom she knew she was going to lose. She knew she was stubborn, but this guy next to her, was like a wall that didn't budge. The other day's episode was proof of his personality. What perplexed her was the fact that he wanted to be her friend. She could not offer him anything in return. She could not offer her friendship to him. There were already so many complications in her life, she did not need him to be another factor in her life problems.

Five years ago, she was able to accept Itachi and Akatsuki's help. She was willing to reach out for help, so why couldn't she do it now? What was the difference? Kurenai had told that she had come a long way. She was supposed to be getting better, isn't she? So why was she reluctant to accept Uchiha Sasuke in her life?

She closed her eyes and inhaled a whip of the air that held the fragrance of the damp earth during the rain.

Kurenai's voice came back to her. "_You may not know how to forgive yourself, but it's only through forgiveness will you be able to heal yourself, Sakura."_

She had told Kurenai that sometimes, forgiveness wasn't enough, but in this moment, she wanted a second chance. Eyes snapped open as realization dawned her. She had always wanted a second chance. That night when she ran into Akatsuki, she could've easily evaded them, left, and ran away. However, she had stayed. She had thought it was Fate's arrangement for her to stay and live, but contemplating over it, she knew that it had been her decision. Five years ago, she left home because she wanted a new beginning to live, even if she originally claimed she wanted to die. Five years later, she was still alive because there were things in her life that kept her moving.

"_You may not know how to forgive yourself, but it's only through forgiveness will you be able to heal yourself, Sakura."_

She turned to face Sasuke, "Why did you talk to me?"

She watched his face, which remained impassive. There was no shift of emotions on his face as he kept his eyes on the road. At first, she thought he hadn't heard her, but then he spared her a sideways glance and asked, "What do you mean?"

"Of all the girls at Morning café and at Midori High School, why was it me that you asked for coffee? Why did you want to befriend me?"

Silence loomed, but Sakura did not drop her grim stare that was directed at him. She knew it made him uncomfortable.

He wasn't sure what he wanted to say. "You resemble the girl in Broken."

There was no shift in emotions and the tension in the air did not disperse. Her lips were shaped into thin lines and her penetrating stare did not lose its effect.

The car suddenly pulled over to the sidewalk and after Sasuke parked the car, he turned to face her.

"You looked like you wanted to cry that day."

* * *

Karin felt like the world was crumbling down on her. The rain was pouring and she was drenched cold. Nevertheless, she stood there in the middle of the streets like a lost child with eyes burning in resentment and anger. She was definitely going to catch a cold tomorrow, but it didn't matter to her.

"Isn't that Arisugaki Karin?" A female voice whispered as she ushered her boyfriend to look at her. Karin made no attempt to look directly at them.

"Nah, they're doing a live broadcast of the press conference on Broken. Plus that girl's wearing glasses. Karin has prefect vision."

Karin didn't even bother to correct them that that the conference was prerecorded, nor the fact that the tabloids lied about her vision. She stared at a small television sitting on the ledge of a nearby food stand as the footage of the _Broken _cast was being played for the nation to see.

_"Let's turn to the lead characters, Uchiha Sasuke and Arisugaki Karin." _

"Inari-kun, let's watch Broken when it comes out! I want to see if Sasuke-kun and Karin are able to reprise their chemistry after their break-up."

Inari frowned, "Didn't you just told me the other month that you didn't want to see Broken because you didn't like Karin?"

"Yepp! But after that article regarding Sasuke and that older woman, I felt sorry for her."

Karin clenched her hands. She didn't want to be pitied by the audience. She was famous through her own right, not because she was the girlfriend of Uchiha Sasuke. Perhaps it was true that she used him as a stepping stone in the entertainment industry, but she believed she had earned her right on the red carpet.

_"Uchiha-san and Arisugaki-san, a lot of people have been speculating how the drama will be affected after your recent breakup. They believe that it will be harder for you to work with each other, considering the fact that you are no longer lovers. What is your opinion on this?"_

Karin remembered hyperventilating in her seat when the question was posed. She was conceited and snooty, but deep down, she was an insecure woman. It was expected that this question would be brought up during the conference. In fact, she and her manager had practiced answering this question before the conference, but hearing it voiced out made her too nervous to utter a word. It was like a slap back into the reality. Karin knew then that she had been pretending all along, pretending that the break up didn't matter and that she simply didn't feel anything towards the rumors circulating around her. Karin wanted to cough up bile.

Looking at the screen now, she could see herself tensing at the question, but she took a deep breath, acknowledging the fact that she had done a good job on keeping her guise. And Sasuke, being the sensitive gentleman that he was, had held her hand to calm her down and answered the question for the both of them.

_"I have perfect confidence in creating our chemistry. I believe our fans are too concerned with our breakup that they forget we are actors. We created our chemistry in Summer's Haven even before we personally knew each other and we definitely pride ourselves as actors. It is our duty to deliver a performance that will satisfy the audience and that when you're watching _Broken_, I hope you will think of us as the couple who found each other because of our broken past, rather than Uchiha Sasuke and Arisugaki Karin who once were lovers."_

After that interview, the feeling of affection was triggered in Karin's heart. It felt like a chance. She wanted to get back with him. She had realized she loved him and she wanted to spend the rest of her life with him. However, before she could talk to him in private, he had left her_. _Karin was angry. He had left her without any acknowledgment towards her. If he didn't want anything to do with her, then why did he hold her hand in the first place?

"You know, it would be romantic if Sasuke-kun and Karin gets back together after this drama, realizing from their past that they were just meant to be."

Inari rolled his eye, "Be more realistic, Ageha. From Uchiha's last interview, he stated to the nation that he puts his acting before anything else, and he's not going to let anything affect it, even his Father's company. For a foolish dream like that, that man won't let a simple word like love affect him."

Ageha frowned as she looked at her boyfriend, "Are you the type to abandon me for your dreams?"

The boy with looped her arm around his girlfriend, "I have no grand aspirations, so you don't have to worry unless I find myself a hotter-Oww!"

Karin watched the couple walked away and for some strange reason, she found a bit of peace within her. Inari was right. Sasuke was the type that would abandon everything for his dream of becoming a world-class actor. She remembered him telling her how important it was to him and how he was willing to give up everything he had to reach it, even his father's company. It wouldn't be fair if she pulled him back. If they were to get back together, things would be even messier than what was written and Karin knew for a fact that Sasuke hated being mentioned in the tabloids. That was when she decided that she was going to support him in the background. She was going watch him rise up the world of fame and wait for him to come back to her when he was ready. Then they would get back together and live happily ever after.

Too bad Arisugaki Karin never took Haruno Sakura into account of her plan.

* * *

They ended up in the back corner a coffee shop on the top floor of a building in Maruouchi. True to its reputation of being in one of the oldest business district, the coffee shop exuded class and sophistication with suave jazz music playing in the background. The air was filled with the scent of fresh pastries and coffee.

He was glad it was two-twenty, for there were few patrons in the shop. With the patrons being in their late twenties or early thirties, it seemed like they didn't recognize him. Across from him, Haruno Sakura was staring out the window that offered the perfect view of the heart of district, but he knew she was far from admiring the prospect.

He should really be annoyed at her manners. For the past week, she had been absentminded, almost to the point where it was unnerving and dangerous. He had watched her spaced out in class, staring absently at her work for an hour. She didn't even notice when a girl had purposely bumped into her. She seemed so lifeless that Sasuke almost wished that she went back to being defensive and insolent. He had wanted to talk some sense into her, but he was whisked away by his work schedule: missing class to film scenes, preparing for the press conference, and attending scheduled photo shoots.

The climate had taken a sudden turn as the heavens were now grumbling, sending flashes of light every few minutes along with a howling of the wind. Sasuke took a sip of his espresso and stared at her. Even with makeup, her sallow features weren't fully covered. Hey eyes were dull and filled with misery, compared to its usual fiery intensity. Deciding that leaving her alone would be for the best, Sasuke picked up his script and started studying his lines.

Naoki: Let's talk about _who_ or _what_ made you run to America.

He paused. There was something about this line that seemed to pull him in, as if nagging him to uncover its underlying meaning. He felt as if he had heard this line before, be he couldn't pinpoint where he had heard it.

Naoki: Let's talk about _who_ or _what_ made you run to America.

He frowned at the single line.

_Who_ or _what _made you run to America.

"Are you okay?"

He looked up to find Sakura staring at him, eyes filled with concern despite her tired features. There was no longer wariness and distrust in her voice. Instead, it was filled with genuine concern.

Sasuke nodded wordlessly and flipped the pages of the booklet close.

"I didn't mean to interrupt you," she said guiltily, as if she was feeling responsible for taking time away from his work.

He fought the urge to sigh. Seriously, this woman was as maddening when she was polite as when she was defensive.

_"Patience, Sasuke. Patience." _It was a phrase Itachi told him often as a child.

Sasuke took another sip of his espresso and the answer came to him. His eyes changed.

"Let's talk about _who_ or _what_ made you run to America."

Sakura stiffened.

* * *

**Author's note:** Yes, this fic is alive! K. Tram is definitely still breathing! I have not abandoned this story and since I'm on summer break, I'll update this story every Saturday. Because of my weekly updates, the chapters will be unbeta'd until AnimeSiren gets around editing them. Thanks for being patient and sticking with me. Until next Saturday!

**+K. Tram~**

_Publication: 06.01.13_


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